- Decision
- dismissed, 25 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: John Morrison (on the recommendation of appeal planning officer Ellie Nutman)
- Authority
- Ribble Valley (North West)
- Appeal reference
- 6009990
- Application reference
- 3/2026/0190
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Permission in principle for one self-build dwelling replacing an agricultural barn
- Homes
- 1
- Site context
- open countryside
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- S5(1)(j)(i), S5(1)
- Development plan policies
- Ribble Valley Core Strategy 2014 Key Statement DS1, DMG1, DMG2, DMG3, DMH3, DMI2
- Main issues
- suitability of site for residential development
Summary
Permission in principle for a self-build house replacing a barn in open countryside near Whalley, reached from a 70 mph dual carriageway with no footways. Dismissed on the recommendation of an appeal planning officer: the site is not physically well related to Barrow under S5(1)(j)(i) because of its poor accessibility, and future occupiers would be heavily car reliant.
Issues and findings
- Accessibility: FAIL. "Access to the site is via the dual carriageway, which has no formal footpaths and is subject to a 70 mph speed limit" (DL ¶6). "Accessing Clitheroe Golf Club bus stop would require walking alongside and crossing the dual carriageway, which would not be safe for all users" (DL ¶6).
- S5(1)(j)(i): FAIL. "Barrow is not a significant distance to the south of the appeal site, but given my findings on its accessibility in regard thereto, I would not consider it to be physically well related" (DL ¶15).
- Character: HARM from new access and domestic curtilage (DL ¶8).
- Fallback. Class Q not yet applied for; "limited weight as a fallback position" (DL ¶11).
Planning balance
S5(1): significant weight to travel and character harms against limited benefits. "the benefits of granting planning permission for the appeal scheme would be substantially outweighed by any adverse effects" (DL ¶17).
What made the difference
The dual carriageway. There was no safe walking route to anything, including the nearest bus stop.
Transferable points
- S5(1)(j)(i) "physically well related" read through accessibility: a settlement a short distance away is not well related if the only route is an unsafe dual carriageway (DL ¶15).
- Walking alongside and crossing a 70 mph dual carriageway to reach a bus stop is not a safe alternative "for all users" (DL ¶6).
- A Class Q fallback not yet applied for carries limited weight (DL ¶11).
- Appeal planning officer letter: lower authority than an inspector's own reasoning.
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| S5(1)(j)(i) | fail | unmet need accepted in principle; Barrow "not a significant distance" but not physically well related given poor accessibility (accessibility reading of (j)(i)) (DL 15) | |
| TR3 | harm | significant | access via 70 mph dual carriageway with no footways; bus stop requires walking alongside and crossing it; heavy car reliance (DL 6, 16); TR3 not named, harm framed as conflict with policies "geared around reducing the need to travel" |
| DP3(1) | harm | significant | new access, driveway and garden urbanise open agricultural fields (DL 8, 16); DP3(3) not invoked |
| HO7 | benefit | limited | one home, very limited contribution; self-build unsecured; benefits collectively limited (DL 15-16) |
| S5(1) | fail | benefits substantially outweighed (DL 17) |
Key facts
- Appeal planning officer recommendation adopted by inspector (DL 2, 19)
- Access from dual carriageway with 70 mph limit and no formal footpaths (DL 6)
- Class Q fallback for the barn not yet applied for; limited weight (DL 11)
- [object Object]
- No switch paragraph; Framework applied by 2026 codes (DL 14-17)
Sources
This note is one of the decisions behind the NPPF 2026 Navigator, which shows how each Framework test has been applied across all the decisions in the database. Also available as Markdown.