Tarleton grey-belt homes have won permission in principle after an Inspector found that likely reliance on private cars for some journeys did not make the rural location unsustainable.
The decision allowed between six and nine homes at Boltons Farm and provides a useful contrast with the recent South Nutfield appeal, where the location test under the new grey-belt policy proved fatal.
Tarleton grey-belt homes pass the Green Belt policy test
The appeal followed West Lancashire Borough Council’s failure to determine the permission-in-principle application. The disputed issues included Green Belt policy, sustainable location, surface-water flood risk and agricultural land.
The Inspector first considered whether the site qualified as grey belt under the August 2026 National Planning Policy Framework.
The parties agreed that the land did not strongly perform Green Belt purposes concerned with preventing neighbouring towns from merging or preserving the setting and special character of historic towns. On unrestricted sprawl, Inspector Chris Mayes noted that Tarleton is identified as a village, not a large built-up area.
The site therefore did not strongly contribute to checking the unrestricted sprawl of a large built-up area and was treated as grey belt.
Some car reliance did not make the site unsustainable
The site sits next to existing and approved development and has pedestrian links towards the village. Local services can be reached on foot, while bus services and cycling provide alternatives to driving for some trips.
The Inspector accepted that future residents would probably use private cars for some journeys. But in a rural context that was not unusual and did not, by itself, mean the location was unsustainable.
That conclusion matters because Planning Geek recently reported the opposite outcome at South Nutfield. There, grey-belt status did not rescue a site that failed the location test. Tarleton shows that the test is not a simple question of whether residents will ever need a car.
Housing shortfall adds weight
West Lancashire could demonstrate only a 1.86-year housing land supply. That substantial shortfall added weight to the delivery of a small housing scheme in a location the Inspector considered sustainable for the purposes of national policy.
Other matters did not prevent permission in principle. Surface-water flood risk affected parts of the site, including the frontage and access, but the Inspector considered detailed drainage, levels and flood-risk measures capable of examination at the technical details consent stage.
A bat roost in an existing building was also a matter for the later detailed stage and the separate protected-species licensing regime. The possible loss of Grade 3a agricultural land involved only a modest area.
Appeal 6007484 was allowed on 23rd September 2026, establishing permission in principle for a minimum of six and maximum of nine homes.
The decision does not mean car use is irrelevant to grey-belt development. It shows something narrower: in this rural setting, some likely car reliance was not enough to make an otherwise connected site unsustainable.
Planning Geek’s grey-belt guide explains the current policy tests, and our housing land-supply guide covers the separate supply issue. You can also read the locally hosted appeal decision or the Planning Inspectorate appeal record.
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