- Decision
- allowed, 23 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: K Lancaster
- Authority
- Wyre (North West)
- Appeal reference
- 6012092
- Application reference
- 26/00199/FUL
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Change of use of a detached dwelling (C3) to a children's residential care home (C2) for up to two children with up to two carers on shift
- Site context
- inside settlement
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- S3(1)(c)
- Development plan policies
- Wyre Local Plan 2011-2031 (partial update 2022) CDMP3, CDMP6
- Main issues
- neighbours' living conditions (noise and disturbance); highway safety and parking
Summary
A detached house in Thornton-Cleveleys to become a children's care home for two children. Activity and parking would be comparable to a family home, so there was no harm to neighbours or highway safety. With no harm and full plan accordance, the inspector applied S3(1)(c), which the letter cites as "S3(3)(c)": approve without delay. Allowed.
Issues and findings
- Transition. "My decision reflects the latest version of the Framework, and the responses received on it" (DL ¶3).
- Noise: NO HARM. "The proposal represents another type of residential use, albeit with a care element for the looked after children" (DL ¶8).
- Parking: NO HARM. "there is no substantive evidence to demonstrate that the parking requirements of the proposed development would be materially different from its occupation as a family dwelling" (DL ¶15).
- S3(1)(c). "Policy S3(3)(c) sets out that in all locations, development proposals that accord with both an up-to-date development plan and the decision-making policies in this Framework should be approved without delay" (DL ¶27).
Planning balance
None needed. Accords with the plan and the Framework (DL ¶28).
What made the difference
Small scale: two children and a care rota producing activity comparable to a family.
Transferable points
- S3(1)(c) (approve without delay where the scheme accords with an up-to-date plan and the Framework) used directly for a no-harm change of use (DL ¶27–28). S3(1)(c) is rarely cited.
- A small children's home is a residential-type use; the character of the neighbourhood's current occupants is not a reason for refusal (DL ¶8, ¶10).
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| P3 | pass | mapped: residential-type use for two children; staff changeover comparable to a multi-car household; no unacceptable noise (CDMP3) (DL 7-11) | |
| TR6 | pass | mapped: four off-street spaces by extending the drive; demand comparable to a family house (CDMP6) (DL 12-17) | |
| S3(1)(c) | pass | letter says "Policy S3(3)(c)"; accords with the up-to-date plan and the Framework's decision-making policies, so approve without delay (DL 27-28) |
Key facts
- Council's concerns about a quiet, largely retired neighbourhood rejected; the house could be occupied by a family with children (DL 8)
- Costs application by the appellant against the Council, decided separately (DL 2)
- Letter heading gives the appeal ref as "601209" (a truncation of 6012092)
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.