Agenda and minutes

Apologies for Absence were submitted by Councillors Joyce Plummer, Clare Pritchard and Mike Booth.

Substitutions were made for Councillors Pritchard and Booth by Councillors Heather Anderson and Munsif Dad BEM JP

The Minutes of the last meeting of the Planning Committee held on the 9^th of July 2025 were submitted for approval as a correct record.

Recommended - That the minutes be received and approved as a correct record.

The Minutes of the last Planning Committee held on the 9^th of July 2025 were submitted for approval as a correct record.

Resolved – That the minutes be received and approved as a correct record.

The Chief Planning and Transportation Officer submitted a series of reports setting out the recommended action on the planning applications below.

Full: Formation of an access road and area of hard standing for use during the time when the land is in use for the Great Harwood agricultural show.

Mr Adam Birkett, Chief Planning and Transportation Officer, presented the report to the committee. Noting that this item was brought to the previous committee on the 9^th of July but had been deferred to the following committee meeting due to additional information being provided by the applicant.

Mr Birkett noted that the application has been amended and would be presented as a new item.

Mr Birkett detailed the application, informing members that the application proposed the creation of a new access road and hardstanding on agricultural land at Great Harwood Showground, off Harwood Lane, Great Harwood.

The track will be formed of a 150mm sub-base, 50mm of 25mm gravel which will be topped with 25mm of soil and seed. The track will be 4m wide and 520m long.

The application also proposed two hardstanding areas in a central location of the showground either side of an existing track. The southern area would measure 60 x 10m and the northern area would measure 60 x 35m.

No Objections to the application were received but some conditions were suggested from the Hyndburn Borough Council Ecology Department and Lancashire County Council Highways.

Mr Birkett highlighted that the application site sits within the Green Belt and while the planning department does not consider the proposed application to cause significant harm to this there will be some harm to the site as a result of the application. In this instance the officers consider the ‘very special circumstances’, noted on page 14 of the report, to out way the harm generated.

The application was recommended for Approval subject to Conditions noted in the report.

Members of the committee discussed the application, making reference to the success of the Great Harwood Show and its long standing history of bad weather.

Members shared experiences where the weather caused difficulties with vehicles accessing the site and noted that the shared entrance for vehicles and pedestrians caused some concern.

Members also agreed that the show provided much value to the area and was a looked forward to event which brought people not only from Hyndburn but surrounding areas also.

Resolved – Members voted by unanimous decision to follow officer recommendations and accept the application subject to the conditions noted in the report (or alternative conditions amended to the satisfaction of the Chief Planning and Transportation Officer).

Report Attached.

Mr Joshua Parkinson, Planning Manager (Development Manager), presented the Enforcement Update to the committee.

Mr Parkinson gave an update on the figures presented in the report. Highlighting that over the last two years one of the key priorities has been to work on the review and clearance of historic enforcement cases. The cases that remain are typically more technical and complex in nature, requiring additional time and resources to address appropriately.

Mr Parkinson informed the committee that there are 458 live cases on hand, including the historic cases that require further action and that priority is being given to cases which cause the most significant hard to public amenity and or the environment.

Paragraph 5.4 of the report highlighted a table which showcased a list of enforcement cases that are currently within the appeal or legal system. Members asked several questions surrounding the legal procedure and queried if funds for officer time were claimed back as part of this procedure. Mr Daniel Hoyle, Solicitor, confirmed that we often ask the courts for costs, but they are not always granted.

Resolved – Members noted the report for informational purposes.