Linear route along unnamed track at Sandscale Haws, National Nature Reserve, Park Road, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria. Data via plota.co.uk

PENDING BPA8/2026/0362

Council

Westmorland and Furness 3.1/10

Date received

around 18 Aug 2026

Date validated

18 Aug 2026

Description

The erection of 4x 9m telegraph poles in the grass verge; The installation of 8x Footway-2 (FW2) chambers in the footpath; The installation of 19x toby chambers in the footpath; and 1568.10m of 50mm narrow trench in the footpath. Data via plota.co.uk

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Last checked 3 Oct 2026, 08:18

Decision outlook

Plota predicts a decision around 13 Oct 2026, from Westmorland and Furness's recent utility and infrastructure works.

Day 48 of the 56-day target. Westmorland and Furness usually decides utility and infrastructure works by day 56.

prediction

Day 488 days to the 56-day target

61%decided within 8 weeks

98%approved

48decided in the last year

Plota live figures for utility and infrastructure works decided by Westmorland and Furness in the last twelve months, from validation. Westmorland and Furness decision record →

Site constraints 6

Ramsar wetland: Duddon Estuary

4 designations overlap here. A habitats assessment is needed.

Harm to a protected site is only accepted where there is no alternative and an overriding public interest.

SSSI: Duddon Mosses SSSI

Natural England must be consulted on work that may affect it.

Sites of special scientific interest are the best wildlife and geological sites in the country. Development likely to harm one is rarely permitted.

Foxfield to Greenodd across the site

Matters where it crosses or adjoins the site; the route and its margin are protected.

Priority habitat: Coastal sand dunes

A habitat of principal importance. It shapes the ecology work and the biodiversity net gain a scheme has to show.

Agricultural land, grade 5

Very poor quality farmland, not best and most versatile. Source: the Predictive Agricultural Land Classification Map (Defra and Natural England, 2025; the Welsh Government's Predictive ALC Map 2 in Wales), a model rather than a site survey. Natural England's Provisional ALC map (1:250,000, 1970s) agrees.

Where development of farmland is needed, policy prefers poorer land over the best and most versatile (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Three sources: Natural England's post-1988 field surveys, which are definitive where they exist; the Defra predictive map for England (2025) and the Welsh Government predictive map, modelled from the soil map with 3a and 3b split; and the 1970s provisional map, which planners and other services still show, coarser and with grade 3 undivided. Where the provisional and predicted grades disagree, treat the predicted grade as the current estimate and expect an application to carry its own survey.

Habitat network: Coastal sand dunes

Where habitat is joined up enough to work as a network. Context, not a constraint on its own.

Not affected

Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 17 September 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

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Westmorland and Furness

Planning Authority Score

3.1/10

Poor

#233 of 296 councils

Relevant to this application:

Householder decisions

Westmorland and Furness is slower than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #235 out of 296. 52% of applications have the time limit extended, above the 41% national average. Householder applications are slightly more likely to be approved here (93%) than the national average (90%).

Slower than most councils

for householder decisions

These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance

Westmorland and Furness decision statistics

Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026

92%

Overall approval rate

Above avg (87%) #96 of 296

93%

Householder approved

Above avg (90%) #145 of 296

51%

Decided in 8 weeks

Below avg (63%) #235 of 296

52%

Extended time limit

Above avg (41%) #238 of 296

84%

Minor dwellings approved

69 decided (1-9 homes)

100%

Major dwellings approved

18 decided (10+ homes)

89%

Change of use approved

135 decided

1,204

Total decisions

91 refused in the year to March 2026