Sprinks Farm , Dingle Lane , Rushton Spencer , Staffordshire , SK11 0RX Data via plota.co.uk

SMD/2026/0368 - Full - MINOR Approved
Agricultural

Proposal

Erection of a purpose built slurry tower Data via plota.co.uk

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View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
11 Aug 2026
✓
Approved
21 Sept 2026

Approved on 21 Sept 2026 · Delegated Decision · Last checked 22 Sept 2026

Documents

View the documents on the council's website ↗

Site constraints 4

Green belt: Stoke-on-Trent
Inappropriate development needs very special circumstances.
Green belt policy allows a short list of exceptions, such as limited extensions and replacement buildings. Anything else needs very special circumstances that clearly outweigh the harm. Some green belt land can count as grey belt, where it does not strongly serve the green belt's purposes. The council decides this in its green belt assessment or on each application, so we do not mark it here.
Read the government guidance ↗
Agricultural land, grade 3b
Not best and most versatile land (grades 1, 2 and 3a). 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), which most planning maps still show, had this area as grade 4. The predicted grade is Defra's current estimate; only a site survey settles it.
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.
Also on the record
Radon affected area, class 2; National infrastructure project about 322 m away: Peak Cluster CCS Pipeline, at pre-application.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 6 October 2026. The pin for this application is the centre of its postcode rather than the building, so distances to nearby designations are measured from the postcode and can be out by the width of the postcode area. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Planning Inspectorate, the British Geological Survey and UK Health Security Agency (radon, contains BGS materials © UKRI) 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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Important details

Council
Staffordshire Moorlands
Application type
Full - MINOR
Postcode
SK11 0RX
Received
11 Aug 2026
Validated
11 Aug 2026
Case officer
Show
Target decision
6 Oct 2026
Decision
Planning Permission - Approved
Decision date
21 Sept 2026
Decision level
Delegated Decision
Applicant
Show
Agent
Graham Watkins & Co

How this decision compares

Decided in 41 days from validation, 7 days slower than Staffordshire Moorlands's median of 34 for agricultural works. Approved, as 48% of agricultural works here are.

67%decided within 8 weeks
48%approved
30decided in the last year

Plota live figures for agricultural works decided by Staffordshire Moorlands in the last twelve months, from validation. Staffordshire Moorlands decision record →

Consultation & key dates

Consultation
17 Aug 2026
Comments by
11 Sept 2026

Historical activity at this location

12 previous applications on record - archival context, not part of the live application.

This property

Previous applications at this address

2024 Approved
Single storey extension
SMD/2024/0190
2024 Approved
Single storey extension
SMD/2024/0190
2023 Approved
Portal frame calf rearing unit for the purposes of agriculture. The proposed building wil…
SMD/2023/0535
2021 Approved
Purpose built portal frame machinery and fodder store
DET/2021/0030
2021 Approved
Purpose built portal frame machinery and fodder store
DET/2021/0030
Within ~100m

Nearby activity

2018 Refused
Existing Cow Shed And Implement Store , Biddulph Park Road , Rushton Spencer , SK11 0RX
Notification for prior approval for a proposed change of use of agricultural building to…
DET/2018/0016
2017 Approved
Land At, DINGLE LANE, RUSHTON SPENCER, STAFFORDSHIRE,
New slurry lagoon to support exisiting dairy farm
SMD/2017/0685
2017 Approved
Land At, DINGLE LANE, RUSHTON SPENCER, STAFFORDSHIRE,
New slurry lagoon to support exisiting dairy farm
SMD/2017/0685
2016
Dingle Brook Farm, Dingle Lane, Rushton Spencer, Staffordshire, SK11 0RX
Discharge of conditions 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 (SMD/2016/0025)
DOC/2016/0039
2016
Dingle Brook Farm, Dingle Lane, Rushton Spencer, Staffordshire, SK11 0RX
Discharge of conditions 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 (SMD/2016/0025)
DOC/2016/0039
2016 Approved
Dingle Brook Farm, Dingle Lane, Rushton Spencer, Staffordshire, SK11 0RX
Proposed replacement farm building
SMD/2016/0025
2016 Approved
Dingle Brook Farm, Dingle Lane, Rushton Spencer, Staffordshire, SK11 0RX
Proposed replacement farm building
SMD/2016/0025
Staffordshire Moorlands
Planning Authority Score
0.4/10
Poor
#296 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Householder decisions

Staffordshire Moorlands is one of the slowest councils in England for householder decisions, ranking #277 out of 296. The council extends the time limit on 66% of applications - one of the highest rates in England. Expect your application to take longer than the standard deadline. Staffordshire Moorlands is also one of the strictest councils - it refuses more householder applications than almost any other, with only 76% approved vs 90% nationally.

Among the slowest councils in England
for householder decisions
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Staffordshire Moorlands decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
76%
Overall approval rate
Below avg (87%) #283 of 296
76%
Householder approved
Below avg (90%) #292 of 296
36%
Decided in 8 weeks
Below avg (63%) #277 of 296
66%
Extended time limit
Above avg (41%) #280 of 296
59%
Minor dwellings approved
41 decided (1-9 homes)
100%
Major dwellings approved
3 decided (10+ homes)
75%
Change of use approved
36 decided
396
Total decisions
94 refused in the year to March 2026
Source: MHCLG planning statistics · See full council rankings