80-home outline scheme at Land At Grid Reference, Low Road, Halton
Summary of planning committee decision
Decided by Lancaster Planning Regulatory Committee on 15 Dec 2025.
Main planning issues
The assessment considered housing need, landscape, highways, biodiversity, flooding, residential amenity, open space, infrastructure and sustainable design.
“The key considerations in the assessment of this application are:”
“Principle of development • Access, traffic impacts, sustainable travel, and parking • Landscape character and visual effects • Biodiversity and trees • Flood risk and drainage • Residential amenity and pollution • Open space • Housing needs, housing mix, affordable housing and housing standards • Heritage matters • Infrastructure • Sustainable design • Employment and Skills…”
Officer report
What consultees said
Most technical consultees raised no objection subject to conditions or contributions, while the parish council objected and some officers raised detailed tree and design concerns.
“Local Highway Authority (LHA) No objection – Previous concerns regarding the off-site highway works, access design, Transport Assessment and Travel Plan have been resolved through the latest amendments. The LHA has no objection to the development subject to the following conditions/obligations:”
Officer report
What residents said
Residents’ objections covered the principle of development, landscape, traffic, residential amenity, flooding, ecology, infrastructure and the loss of countryside and agricultural land.
“- Development here would constitute inappropriate countryside development - Development would constitute major development within the National Landscape and exceptional circumstances have not been demonstrated - No need for additional housing - No evidence that this proposal meets local housing needs - Application is not supported by an Affordable Housing Statement - Development should provide policy compliant affordable housing - Proposal should provide bungalows within the…”
“Design and landscape matters including: - Harm to the rural character and identity of the village - Development would extend beyond the existing village boundary - The scale and density of this proposal are wholly out of keeping with the area - The site lies within the Forest of Bowland National Landscape, the development would result in harm to this landscape - Further ribbon development along Low Road - Development would be visually intrusive - Loss of greenspace is…”
Officer report
The committee vote
Councillors proposed approval with the reported conditions and an education contribution modification; 13 voted for, none against and one abstained.
“That the application be approved subject to the conditions in the Committee Report together with the modification to the Education financial contribution as contained within the published update.”
“Upon being put to the vote, 13 Councillors voted in favour of the proposal with none against and 1 abstention, whereupon the Chair declared the proposal to have been carried.”
Minutes
Sources
- Lancaster Planning Regulatory Committee minutes, 15 December 2025
- Agenda and papers (council website)
Source: Plota analysis of Lancaster's committee minutes and officer report. Quotations are the council's own words; headings and summaries are Plota's.
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See the API →At the meeting
- Council
- Lancaster
- Date
- Monday 15 December 2025
- Recommendation
- Officers recommended approval
- Committee decided
- Approved
- Vote
- 13 for, 0 against, 1 abstained
- Minutes
- The council's minutes
- Meeting
- Agenda and papers (council website)
- Application
- The application (council website)
- All decisions
- Lancaster committee decisions →
Source: Plota analysis of the minutes.
This committee's year
34 decisions in the 12 months to this meeting, 1 against officer advice.
Source: Plota analysis of the committee's minutes.