Land at Moorside Farm, Weasel Lane, Tockholes BB3 0NJ Data via plota.co.uk

10/26/0872 - Full Planning Application Pending Consideration

Proposal

Proposed change of use from agricultural to equine, including erection of stables/tack room and associated hardstanding. Data via plota.co.uk

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View original council record ↗Last checked 27 Oct 2026, 06:08

Street View

Application progress

✓

Received

7 Oct 2026

Decision

Expected by 2 Dec 2026

Under consideration

No decision has been issued yet. Plota predicts a decision between 1 Dec 2026 and 9 Dec 2026, from Blackburn's recent changes of use.

Documents 6

Site constraints 6

Green belt: Merseyside and Greater Manchester

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 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), 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.

Public bridleway 21 m away

Matters where it crosses or adjoins the site: obstructing a path without a diversion order is an offence, and work cannot start until the order is confirmed.

Compiled from highway authority data, not the legal definitive map. A few authorities have not published, so no path shown is not proof there is none.

Habitat network: Network Expansion Zone

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

Also on the record

Radon affected area, class 3; Coalfield, development low risk area.

Not affected

Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · No listed building at the site · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 17 October 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Mining Remediation Authority, 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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Other new applications on this street

21 Oct 2026Pending

CLAYTON BANK Weasel Lane, Tockholes, Darwen, Blackburn With Darwen, BB3 0NJ

Erection of 3 stables and lambing shed along with a feed store.

10/26/0782

17 Sept 2026Pending

MOORSIDE FARM Weasel Lane, Tockholes, Darwen, Blackburn With Darwen, BB3 0NJ

Proposed change of use of 1x agricultural building to 1x dwelling (Use Class C3)...

10/26/0819

Nearby new applications

21 Oct 2026Pending

CLAYTON BANK Weasel Lane, Tockholes, Darwen, Blackburn With Darwen, BB3 0NJ

Erection of 3 stables and lambing shed along with a feed store.

10/26/0782

16 Oct 2026Pending

BACK O THE LOWE FARM Tockholes Road, Tockholes, Darwen, Blackburn With Darwen, BB3 0NS

Removal of existing stable block, field shelter, storage shed and shipping conta...

10/26/0894

12 Oct 2026Pending

GORSE FARM Rock Lane, Tockholes, Darwen, Blackburn With Darwen, BB3 0LX

Non-material amendment pursuant to planning application 10/25/1245 "Single store...

10/26/0881

30 Sept 2026Approved

Kiln Bank Farm Weasel Lane, Tockholes, Darwen, Blackburn With Darwen

Non material amendment pursuant to planning application 10/26/0124 'Demolish the...

10/26/0855

17 Sept 2026Pending

MOORSIDE FARM Weasel Lane, Tockholes, Darwen, Blackburn With Darwen, BB3 0NJ

Proposed change of use of 1x agricultural building to 1x dwelling (Use Class C3)...

10/26/0819

Important details

Council: Blackburn
Application type: Full Planning Application
Postcode: BB3 0NJ
Received: 7 Oct 2026
Validated: 7 Oct 2026
Ward: Darwen West
Case officer: Show
Target decision: 2 Dec 2026
Applicant: Show
Agent: ML Planning Consultancy Ltd

Decision outlook

Day 21 of the 56-day target. Blackburn usually decides changes of use by day 56.

prediction

Day 2135 days to the 56-day target

56%decided within 8 weeks

79%approved

10%go to committee

Plota live figures for changes of use decided by Blackburn in the last twelve months, from validation. Blackburn decision record →

Consultation & key dates

Statutory expiry: 2 Dec 2026

Historical activity at this location

2 nearby applications on record - archival context, not part of the live application.

Within ~100m

Nearby activity

2024 Withdrawn

Clayton Bank Weasel Lane Tockholes Darwen BB3 0NJ

Outline planning with all matters reserved except for access and layout for American Barn…

10/24/0456 13 May 2024

2023 Approved

Land off Trash Lane Tockholes Darwen

Discharge Condition No.5 "landscaping scheme" pursuant to planning application 10/21/0345

10/23/0990 13 Dec 2023

Blackburn

Planning Authority Score

7.2/10

Good

#55 of 296 councils

Relevant to this application:

Change of use

Blackburn is faster than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #90 out of 296. Householder applications are more likely to be approved here than most councils, with a 98% approval rate vs 90% nationally.

More permissive than most councils

98% approved vs 90% nationally

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

Blackburn decision statistics

Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026

96%

Overall approval rate

Above avg (87%) #7 of 296

98%

Householder approved

Above avg (90%) #10 of 296

73%

Decided in 8 weeks

Above avg (63%) #90 of 296

40%

Extended time limit

Below avg (41%) #147 of 296

88%

Minor dwellings approved

40 decided (1-9 homes)

100%

Major dwellings approved

7 decided (10+ homes)

86%

Change of use approved

56 decided

519

Total decisions

23 refused in the year to March 2026