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A long running battle to save vast swathes of Samlesbury farmland from a sprawling residential and industrial development is far from over, campaigners have said.
Debate has been raging for several years over the Cuerdale Garden Village scheme which, if approved by South Ribble Council, would lead to 1,300 homes being built on land off Cuerdale Lane, between Samlesbury and Walton-le-Dale.
Put forward by Story Homes, the residential proposal sits alongside a plan by Logik to create a 1.8 million square feet industrial development in the area. Logik is arguing this 70 acres of land, which sits either side of the A59 at Samlesbury’s Five Bar Gate junction, should be reclassified from green belt to grey belt land.
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The plans, which were recently resubmitted to South Ribble Council, have prompted 1,400 objections to the Story Homes proposals, and more than 800 to the Logik scheme.
They have also received widespread opposition from neighbouring councils such as Preston, Ribble Valley and Blackburn with Darwen, which have argued the proposals are ‘inconsistent with existing planning policy’.
Samlesbury Parish Council chairman Graham Young argues that Logik is trying take advantage of the Government’s recently introduced concept of ‘grey belt’ land, which is classed as ‘land in the green belt comprising previously developed land and/or any other land that, in either case, does not strongly contribute to protecting urban sprawl, settlements merging or protecting historic characteristics’.
Graham, who runs a dairy farm alongside his wife Janet in Samlesbury, said: “The plans have not altered since they were first submitted a few years ago, but they are trying to argue that this land is grey belt.
“The reality is that there is no better food producing land in this area than the land earmarked for this scheme. The green belt is there is stop urban spread and that is exactly what this land does.”
The recent resurgence in activity by Logik, which has seen it argue that the scheme is strategically important in the context of plans for the National Cyber Force centre next to BAE Systems, has also prompted renewed efforts from campaigners against the scheme such as the parish council and the Stop Cuerdale Garden Village Action Group.
Graham said councillors were also engaged with local MP, Maya Ellis, over the plans and 1,700 leaflets had been sent out to local residents to update them on the Cuerdale Garden Village proposals.
He added: “South Ribble Council has previously said it has enough industrial and housing land earmarked, so it won’t need this land at Samlesbury. But Logik has jumped on the National Cyber Force proposals and grey belt definition to try and justify the scheme.
“These plans would lead to the loss of four productive farms and the ramifications for the wider farming ecosystem, and businesses that rely on local farmers, would be far reaching.”
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