Plans to build up to 95 homes on land at Swainson Farm in Goosnargh have been thrown out after the Planning Inspectorate dismissed an appeal against Preston City Council’s (PCC) decision to refuse the development.
The proposal relating to land off Goosnargh had been refused by PCC last year. Developers then took the case to the Planning Inspectorate, with a hearing held earlier this month. The appeal was made by Gillian Wells, Thomas Swarbrick and Lynn Johnson.
In a decision issued on 23 February 2026, the inspector backed the council’s position and the ruling found that the proposal conflicted with the borough’s own spatial strategy.
Read more: Bid to build homes on Haighton Green Lane falls at the first hurdle
A key issue was the site’s position outside the defined settlement boundary, meaning it is treated as open countryside under the local plan. The inspector concluded that allowing the development would undermine the plan-led approach to growth and would not amount to sustainable development in this location.
The land has been the focus of planning interest for several years and, in periods where the council could not demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, similar schemes in village locations sometimes found success on appeal.
Whittingham Parish Council had objected to the scheme, raising concerns about traffic, infrastructure and the cumulative impact of development in the area.
For many residents, the decision will be seen as a clear endorsement of local planning policy — and a sign that, for now, the fields off Goosnargh Lane will remain untouched.
This latest dismissal was the third attempt in recent years to develop the site.
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