Have your say! We value everyones opinion and believe that each voice matters. Your thoughts are essential in shaping our community and protecting our village. Whether you have a suggestion, a concern, or a simple comment, we encourage you to share it. Engaging in open dialogue helps us to see a wider perspective, so please don’t hesitate to express your ideas and feedback. Your contribution can make a significant difference!
18 responses to “FORUM”
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I completely agree with opposing this site. My main concern lies with the village and how stretched amenities already are. I will be submitting an objection right away.
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Hello I live on Clitheroe Road quite near to the proposed development. Thanks for posting the flyer through my door – I hadn’t received any correspondence from the council regarding this. I left my comments on the Ribble Valley council site. Thanks again
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enough is enough, it is no longer about necessity but about home builders profits and it is negatively impacting our quality of life in our village. I will be placing my objection now.
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This is the first I’ve heard about the proposed development. As a resident of Whalley village for the past 15 years, I have witnessed significant growth during this time, with hundreds of new homes already built. Unfortunately, the village simply does not have the infrastructure to support further development.
Local services are already under considerable strain: the GP surgery is overstretched, parking is extremely limited, the roads are congested, and schools are full to capacity. In addition, the land at the bottom of the proposed site is prone to flooding. Increasing hardstanding through further housing will only exacerbate this issue and increase the risk of flooding in the wider area.
For all of these reasons, I strongly believe this development would have a negative impact on both existing residents and the character of the village.
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Have lodged my objection, that road always gets closed when flooded so how would people even access the properties there… plus no capacity in this village/(becoming town)
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Thanks for hosting this page, I feel the applicant has made a decided attempt to keep the information off the radar, probably as they know how local people feel about anymore pressure on local services and the village in general. Just scanning the Tree Report which says there are no protect trees here, this is wrong, there are four groups of trees within the site and a line of Limes along the drive way to Bramley Meade which are protected. In his conclusion he says the development will moderately improve the tree habitat on site, what rather than leaving it as a field, really, can we trust anything they say.
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This is insanity, there is no infrastructure in place for more development …the roads are in a diabolical state, with yet more patching having just been done…what will more traffic do?? The doctors have endless wait times, etc.etc. Enough is enough!!! We moved here for a more peaceful life, sadly that’s not what we’ve got
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they don’t make it easy on the website .. I’ve filed my objections, not sure if it’s been correctly saved.
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I have tried to object on the RVBC page but sadly the RVBC does not seem to recognise my postcode on their website. This is madness to have more houses in Whalley. As an owner of a new build in the village, maybe I am hypocritical in my views but I am a local. Enough is enough in Barrow, Clitheroe and Whalley – we have more than had our fair share of new builds and little or no investment that has been promised by all these builders has materialised and no-one seems to be bothered to enforce it.
This development is not necessary to fulfill the local housing requirements. It is depleting the green space and wildlife, encouraging flooding, no access to better facilities that go with increased housing and we should be strongly objecting to this development.
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Thank you for providing this page to collect comments. I note one comment referred to a number of trees on the site being protected. It would be a good idea to quickly apply for TPOs on all the trees. I agree with all of the comments on here and cannot comprehend how RVBC would not have thrown this out when a Pre-application was submitted by PH. The natural environment is suffering at an unprecedented level. Permitting the further destruction of habitat and wildlife refuge would be significant for the local ecosystem. By closing up the gap between Whalley and Billington into a continuous urban sprawl of development which would add no value to the area this would render the small pockets of remaining green space insufficient to sustain nature. The councillors who sit on the planning committee must be lobbied to reject this as I have no confidence that the appointed planning officer will act in the best interest of the village.
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If I’m reading the application right ‘100% social housing’ means the houses are just for people off the councils social housing waiting list?!
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According to the government website: rented/social housing is government-supported housing for people who can’t afford homes on the open market, offered by councils or housing associations at reduced rents. These homes provide secure, long-term, and affordable rentals, with rents set by a formula tied to local incomes and controlled by central government policy. This type of housing helps individuals and families who are on lower incomes or benefits or like homelessness or disability.
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That’s right but all the houses that have been built in Whalley and Barrow over recent years have delivered policy compliant affordable homes. They had to so why do we need 77 more affordable houses in our village? We have already contributed more than our fair share in the Ribble Valley!
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There is a Parish Council meeting on Thursday 21 August (this Thursday) at Whalley Old Grammar School at 7PM.
This Planning Application in respect of the land East of Clitheroe Road is on the Agenda and we need as many people as possible in attendance. Please please spread the news of this meeting to friends neighbours and through Social Media. We need to get as many people there as possible and get our voices heard.
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It is worthwhile taking a look at previous application 3/2019/0448 which was in respect of a housing development on the field immediately to the east of this application site.
This application was refused both by RVBC and also upon Appeal with the Decision Notice clearly listing the main reasons for rejection, many of which apply equally to this site. These included
- Proposed housing density is far in excess of that of the surrounding area.
- Significant adverse effect on the character and appearance of the surrounding area.
These issues directly conflict with the agreed Planning Policies. If this part of whalley already comprised largely of estate housing then it would be difficult to object, however viewing on Google maps it is obvious that this part of Whalley has a very different housing make up to what is proposed.
It is worthwhile mentioning issues such as increased traffic, lack of school places, flooding etc, however the Developer’s Planning Consultants will provide technical reports which address and likely dismiss these particular issues. For example to address lack of school places in Whalley the Developer only needs to make a financial contribution to LLC based on the number/type of dwellings even though we all know that no extra school places will be created in Whalley.
Good luck everyone and thanks for the effort in highlighting this opportunistic application.
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If anyone is having difficulty submitting their objections on the Ribble Valley Planning Portal, you can email the Planning Officer, Stephen Kilmartin on
stephen.kilmartin@ribblevalley.gov.uk
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developers tend to have deep pockets, but RVBC have limited funds to fight the inevitable appeals by developers against a planning refusal. Money talks.
I hope this planning application is denied comprehensivelyLikeLike
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I have submitted the following objection:
I am writing to formally object to planning application 3/2025/0588, which proposes the erection of 77 affordable dwellings on land east of Clitheroe Road, Whalley.
While I fully support the need for affordable housing, I have significant concerns regarding the location, tenure mix, and design of this particular proposal.
Location Beyond the Settlement Boundary: The proposed site lies outside the defined settlement boundary for Whalley and is not allocated for development in the current Local Plan. Approving this application could undermine the Council’s spatial strategy and set a concerning precedent for speculative development on important greenfield sites that make a positive contribution to the character and setting of the village.
Lack of Tenure Mix: The proposal comprises 100% affordable housing, which is highly unusual for a development of this scale. National and local planning policy encourages mixed and balanced communities, and this scheme fails to deliver that. A more appropriate approach would be to integrate affordable housing within a broader mix of tenures to promote social cohesion and long-term sustainability.
Incongruous Urban Design in a Semi-Rural Context: The proposed layout adopts a tight urban grain, with dwellings arranged in a very structured manner and in close proximity to each other with minimal spacing between plots and only limited set back from the road. This is entirely at odds with the prevailing character of this part of Whalley, which is defined by large, detached properties of varying styles with an overall unstructured layout. The properties are set within generous plots and have very mature landscaping along the road frontage. This character runs all the way from Wiswell Lane upto the boundary with Barrow. It is acknowledged that the A59 cuts across this area but in itself that does not have a significant impact on this overriding character. The proposed development would appear visually intrusive and incongruous, eroding the character of this part of Whalley.
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Planning Response Deadline
NO TO PRINGLE IN WHALLEY 
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