Preston City Council writes:<\/p>\n
The City Council believes the decision to grant planning permission, on appeal by the Planning Inspectorate, is fundamentally flawed and based on incorrect information.\u00a0 In particular, when allowing the appeal, the Inspector made an error and has mis-calculated the supply of housing in Preston over the next five years \u2013 which has been given as a key reason for allowing the appeal.<\/p>\n
The Council is now seeking permission to lodge a legal challenge against the Secretary of State\u2019s decision at the High Court in Manchester and hopes the case will be dealt with soon.<\/p>\n
Councillor Brian Rollo, Chair of the Council\u2019s Planning Committee, said: \u2018There were very good reasons for refusing planning permission at Preston Road, Grimsargh so we are disappointed that the Planning Inspectorate, acting for the Secretary of State, has allowed this development on appeal. The simple fact is we believe they\u2019ve got it wrong and made an error in their calculations \u2013 especially about how many homes are being built over the next five years.<\/p>\n
\u2018There were strong local objections to the development and as the planning authority we shared those too.\u00a0 It\u2019s basically building on open countryside, so if we don\u2019t stand up and say somebody somewhere has made a mistake, then future planning controls in Preston could be affected.<\/p>\n
\u2018That\u2019s why we\u2019ve taken the unusual decision to seek the Court\u2019s permission to challenge the Secretary of State. It\u2019s important that we protect those areas that need protection against development, whilst also recognising the city needs to grow. We are confident we have got that balance right, certainly with the development at Preston Road, Grimsargh and look forward to making our case to the High Court.\u2019<\/p>\n
Read more….<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Differing national and local evaluations of the development of 150 new homes on Preston Road, Grimsargh, described as \u2018basically building on open countryside\u2019 has led to Preston City Council (CC) preparation to challenge the Secretary of State\u2019s decision. Preston City … Continue reading