The Hyndburn Council Planning Committee was scheduled to meet on Wednesday 20 August 2025 to discuss planning applications and an enforcement update. The committee, chaired by Councillor Dave Parkins, was also scheduled to review the minutes from their last meeting. This article summarises the information that was provided to the committee members in advance of the meeting.

Planning Application: Great Harwood Showground

The committee was scheduled to consider a full planning application, reference 11/25/0114, for land off Harwood Lane, Great Harwood, BB6 7TD, the location of the Great Harwood Showground. The application, made by the Great Harwood Agricultural Show Society, requests permission for:

• A new 520m access road from Church Lane to the existing showground track, made of gravel and topped with soil and seed.
• Two hardstanding areas, one 60 x 10m and the other 60 x 35m, in the centre of the showground.

According to the report pack, the applicant stated that the development is required to support the hosting of the Great Harwood Agricultural Show.

The report pack notes that a similar application was refused in February 2022 due to its impact on the character and appearance of the area and the green belt¹, and its impact on the living conditions of nearby residents.

Access and Traffic Management

Lancashire County Council (LCC) Highways raised no objections to the application, but requested conditions to ensure that the access road is only used during the annual Great Harwood Agricultural Show, or other agreed shows, in conjunction with temporary traffic management on surrounding highways. They also requested that construction deliveries use the Harwood Lane showground access, not Church LaneAllsprings Drive.

The report pack notes that the current traffic management plan for show days involves:

'Show parking' entering via Church Lane and exiting via Allsprings Drive on a one way system. Granville Road, Brantfell Road and Allsprings Drive are closed with access for residents only with associated signage. Coaches and disabled parking spaces are accessed through the Harwood Road entrance on Harwood New Road. Queue warning signage is placed on Whalley Road and directional parking signage is placed on Whalley Road, Queen Street, Church Street and Park Lane.

Ecology

HBC Ecology raised no objections subject to conditions, after discussions with the agent and amended details including tree planting proposed within the red edged line location plan has been received, alongside an amended DEFRA metric and associated information.

The report pack notes that the applicant is proposing to use trees that have previously been planted to compensate for the loss of onsite habitats, thereby creating the required biodiversity net gain².

Green Belt Considerations

The site is located within the green belt, and the report pack notes that the Hyndburn Core Strategy Policy BD1 seeks to maintain the general overall extent of the green belt. The report pack also references the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which states that:

Inappropriate development is, by definition, harmful to the Green Belt and should not be approved except in very special circumstances.

The report pack notes that the planning statement submitted with the application argues that the development falls under exception b) of paragraph 154 of the NPPF, which refers to the provision of appropriate facilities for outdoor sport and recreation. However, the report pack states that the local planning authority maintains the view that the development would not satisfy this exception, as the use of the land for the Great Harwood Agricultural Show is not the land's established use.

The report pack goes on to say that the proposed track would generate some harm to the openness of the green belt, and that the proposals would not satisfy the exception at paragraph 154h) of the Framework, which relates to engineering operations and material changes of use of land.

Recommendation

Despite the concerns raised, the report pack recommends that planning permission be approved, subject to conditions. The report pack concludes that the benefits of the scheme, including the social, economic and environmental benefits associated with the agricultural show, outweigh the harm to the green belt and to the public right of way, and that 'very special circumstances' exist.

Planning Enforcement Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the work of the Planning Enforcement team. The report pack notes that the team has been working to review and clear historic enforcement cases received between 2013 and 2020, and are now focusing on cases received between 2021 and 2024.

The report pack also notes that the Enforcement Protocol has been reviewed and updated, and will be presented to Cabinet alongside an update on the service.

Between May and December 2024, a total of eight enforcement notices were served, the highest number since 2014. The council was recently granted a Planning Enforcement Order by the magistrates' court, and a prosecution for non-compliance of an enforcement notice in February 2025 ended successfully with the defendants being fined.

The report pack includes a table listing enforcement cases that are currently within the appeal or legal system, including cases relating to:

• The erection of a boundary wall, fence and roller shutters at 105 Hyndburn Road, Church.
• The erection of an agricultural building at Rosedene Barn, Rhoden, Oswaldtwistle.
• A development not in accordance with approved plans at 18 Moorside, Clayton-Le-Moors.
• The erection of fencing on land adjacent to Park Road, Monk Street and Princess Street.
• The laying of a hard standing concrete and the creation of a vehicular access at 33 Queens Road, Accrington.
• The laying of concrete on a cobbled street in Wood Street, Church.
• The change of use of land for the storage of tyres and vehicles in Wood Street, Church.
• Failure to comply with conditions attached to the approved application at Whalley Road Car Wash, Clayton Le Moors.