A plan for more than a dozen homes is off the table after it was thrown out by the Planning Inspectorate for the third time.

The proposal for the land off Dixon Street in Wingates, Westhoughton, was refused by the council more than a year ago.

Hollins Homes appealed to the Planning Inspectorate after the application was refused on the basis of its impact on the appearance and the character of the area which is designated as Other Protected Open Land (OPOL). 

This is a level of protection higher than the protection afforded to most sites but lower than the protection afforded to other sites on Green Belt.

The Bolton News: The land off Dixon Street in Wingates, Westhoughton

Hollins Homes said their plan for 14 homes was an improvement on two previous plans for the same location and the same number of homes.

They stressed the importance of adding to the housing supply in the area, and in particular to the housing supply close to the employment zone West of Wingates, which is on its way as a part of the GMCA's Places for Everyone.

However after consideration an inspector, R Morgan, threw out the appeal this month again on the basis of its impact on the appearance and the character of the area.

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They said: "As acknowledged by the council some development of OPOL is needed to meet the borough's housing requirement. 

"However I share the view of the previous inspectors that the development of this site would cause significant harm to the appearance and the character of the area and I am not persuaded that this significant harm would be mitigated through the illustrative layout proposals and landscaping proposals."

They said: "When taken together, the benefits of the scheme would not be sufficient to outweigh the harm, even when the National Planning Policy Framework objective of boosting the supply of housing is taken into account. 

"Overall the adverse impacts of the scheme would outweigh the benefits when assessed against the policies in the National Planning Policy Framework taken as a whole."

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.