PLANNING SERVICES UNIT

SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING GUIDANCE DEVELOPMENT INVOLVING HORSES PLANNING SERVICES UNIT

1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 This document provides supplementary planning guidance on development involving horses, which is covered by Chorley Borough Local Plan Review Policy EP8. 1.2 The document is intended as a guide for horse-owners or land-owners wishing to build stables for private use, and for the developers of commercial equestrian facilities. 1.3 Due to the increasing popularity of horse riding and the spread of diversification of the rural economy, pressures for horse-related development in the countryside and urban fringe are high and likely to continue to increase. 2. BACKGROUND 2.1 Most development involving horses requires planning permission. Only the use of land for grazing of horses which are pets, working farm animals or for breeding do not. However, if land is used for the keeping of horses for recreation/leisure purposes which do not fall into these categories then planning permission is required. The erection of stables and associated facilities on open land also requires planning permission. Stables erected within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse (ie within a garden but not in a separate paddock) for horses kept as pet animals. for the domestic needs or personal enjoyment of the dwellinghouse have permitted development rights under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 and planning permission is not required. Advice may be obtained from the Council s website www.chorley.gov.uk or by contacting the Development Control Section, Planning Services Unit (01257 515151). 2.2 Building Regulation Approval is not normally required for stables although if the building incorporates ancillary accommodation which is not directly used for the keeping of horses, Building Regulations Approval may be required. Advice may be obtained from the Council s Building Control Section of the Planning Services Unit. 2.3 Horse-related development must meet the requirements of the relevant animal welfare and environmental health legislation. Riding schools require an annual licence from the Council. Advice may be obtained from the Council s Environmental Services Unit. 3. NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY 3.1 Planning Policy Guidance Note 2: Green Belts (issued in 1995) provides advice on appropriate development within Green Belts. The types of development regarded as appropriate in the Green Belt are essential facilities for outdoor sport and recreation which should be genuinely required for uses of land which preserve the openness of the Green Belt and do not conflict with the purposes of including land in it. Small stables for outdoor sport and recreation are cited as an example of appropriate development. 3.2 Planning Policy Guidance Note 7: The Countryside Environmental Quality and Economic and Social Development (issued in 1997) applies to countryside areas generally irrespective of whether covered by Green Belt designation. It provides advice in Annex F on development involving horses. It stresses the need to ensure that equestrian activities do not have an adverse effect on the countryside, and that the horses are well housed and cared for. PPG7 also provides advice on farm diversification, quoting equestrian business among examples of farm-based enterprises which provide potential means of supplementing agricultural incomes. 3.3 Most of the countryside in Chorley Borough is within the Green Belt or Area of Safeguarded land. However, land to the east of Chorley town is not. This latter area is termed an Area of 1 of 6 FP89

Other Open Countryside, but in terms of this SPG all the countryside is treated in the same way. 4. COUNTY LEVEL STRUCTURE PLAN POLICY 4.1 The 1991-2006 Lancashire Structure Plan Greening the Red Rose County was adopted in February 1997. 4.2 Policy 4 refers to essential facilities for outdoor sport and recreation as appropriate development in the Green Belt. 4.3 Policy 48 refers to appropriate tourism development in rural areas. Equestrian centres are among suggested developments which can upgrade the physical environment, provide employment opportunities and encourage the proper use of agricultural land. 5. LOCAL PLAN POLICY 5.1 Chorley Borough Local Plan Review Policy EP8 refers to development involving horses, and lists criteria which must be met if planning permission is to be granted: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) the proposal is of a scale and nature appropriate to the character of the site and the ability of the local environment, including the amenity of local residents, to absorb the development; in the case of indoor facilities or commercial stables, the development is within an existing building or forms part of a farm diversification scheme; in the case of small, private developments the site should be close to existing buildings and well screened by existing trees or local landscape features; the siting, design and materials of the buildings and structures should be in keeping with their surroundings; the development would not result in the over-intensive use of the local bridleway network; the movement of either horses or vehicles as a result of the development would not prejudice road safety; provision is made for removing any equipment and re-instating the site once its use for horses is not longer required. 5.2 Local Plan Review Policy DC1 includes essential facilities for outdoor sport and outdoor recreation as appropriate development in the Green Belt. Policy DC2, which applies to the Area of Other Open Countryside, refers to uses appropriate to a rural area. 5.3 Local Plan Review Policy EM3 allows for farm diversification proposals of appropriate types and scale which would not have an adverse effect on the character of the countryside. 6. GUIDANCE The Council will use this guidance to assist in the determination of planning applications and any planning enforcement decisions. 6.1 Development involving horses can be acceptable in principle in the countryside. However, for any particular case, in assessing the acceptability the following points need to be taken into account. 2 of 6 FP89

(a) Scale Development for private use 6.2 For the purposes of this Guidance, small private developments (criterion (c) of Policy EP8 applies) are those which involve no more than two or three horses. Applicants may be required to provide evidence that the building is genuinely required for equestrian purposes, and that the amount of accommodation proposed is justified in relation to the applicant s needs. In relation to larger proposals the applicant should submit a statement with the application detailing why accommodation of the size proposed is required. Siting 6.3 In order to minimise the impact on the landscape and openness of the Countryside and Green Belt, buildings should be well related to existing buildings (subject to the considerations in paragraph 6.3 below) and be well-screened by existing trees, hedges or landscape features. Siting in open or prominent positions should be avoided. Siting near to the point of access will minimise the need for access tracks to be created across open fields. Siting should be chosen to avoid impact on wildlife habitats and features of historical or landscape interest. 6.4 In order to avoid problems of noise, disturbance and smell, stables and associated development should be sited at an adequate distance from neighbouring residential properties. The separation distance required will vary depending on the scale of the development and nature of the landscape, but in general should not be less than 30 metres. 6.5 The health and comfort of the horses should be taken into account in choosing the detailed siting. Ideally the stable should be sited on a well-drained, level area, close to a suitable water supply, with its back to the prevailing wind. Isolated unsupervised locations may compromise the safety and security of the horses. Design/Materials 6.6 Stable blocks using traditional designs will generally be the most appropriate in terms of appearance and should be as small as possible, with a maximum ridge height of 3.5 metres. Normally individual stables should have a floor area of approximately 3.7m x 3.7m. (Though larger horses may need stables upto 3.7m x 4.3m). Tack rooms and hay stores should be part of the same building, and each be of a size similar to that of an individual stable. 6.7 Stable buildings should normally be clad externally and internally framed with timber. Traditional materials like wood are more likely to blend into the landscape than concrete blockwork. Furthermore, stables are often required for relatively short periods of time, dependent upon the needs of the owners and on land ownership. If stables are constructed of permanent materials such as blockwork or brick, there is a tendency for buildings to be retained on site long after the need for them has gone. A proliferation of such buildings would be detrimental to the character and openness of the countryside. However, in order to protect the timber walls from damage, it would be acceptable either to provide either internal blockwork to a height of 1.2 metres, or to incorporate low brick plinths below the timber walls into the design. The design should also take into account safety, for example, the risk of fire. Site Treatment 6.8 Development which is ancillary to the stable building can also have a significant impact on the countryside. Hardstanding areas, access tracks and sand paddocks should be of the minimum size necessary, and should not encroach into the open countryside. Jumps and equipment that is not in regular use should not be left in the open, but should be stored away neatly. The storage of transporter boxes or lorries on site can be visually intrusive and should be avoided. Parking of other vehicles such as horse-boxes should be avoided unless 3 of 6 FP89

the location is very well screened. Pasture erosion can be minimised by rotational grazing. Buildings and ancillary development should be screened by appropriate landscaping, utilising indigenous species appropriate to the rural setting. Fencing should be of an appropriate rural type, not suburban in appearance. Sand Paddocks 6.9 Sand paddocks should be carefully sited to minimise the impact on the landscape and on neighbouring residents. Wherever possible they should be contained within existing field boundaries, which should be retained and if necessary enhanced through further planting. The creation of appropriate new landscaping around sand paddocks not screened by existing hedging is essential. Sand paddocks should utilise existing ground levels unless absolutely necessary and should not appear built out of the ground and thus alien to the natural contours of the land. Floodlighting of sand paddocks and yards is generally inappropriate in the open countryside or near to neighbouring residents. Local Plan Review Policy EP21A on light pollution should be referred to. Waste Disposal 6.10 Middens should be carefully sited to minimise the possibility of pollution of watercourses or underground water supplies. They should be constructed with a concrete floor and bund walls on three sides. Siting closer than 30 metres to residential properties or to the boundary of any garden of any inhabited building not in the same ownership as the stable should be avoided, to avoid problems of smells or flies. Other waste arising should be stored inside the building prior to disposal off-site. Highway Safety/Bridleway Use 6.11 The movement of horses or vehicles resulting from the siting of stables should not create danger to horses and riders, or to other road users. Stables are best sited to have safe and convenient access to the bridleway network, although existing bridleways should not become over-intensively used as a result of the development. Such over-intensive use can frequently result in the case of riding schools. Reinstatement 6.12 In order to protect the appearance of the countryside, stables and associated development which are unused for a period of at least six months within 10 years of their completion will be required to be removed from the site (by a condition attached to the planning permission) and the land restored to its former condition. (b) Commercial development 6.13 The issues listed above under 6.2-6.12 are also of relevance in considering the planning merits of commercial horse-related developments. It is essential that these larger-scale developments have minimum impact on the character and appearance of the countryside, on the amenities of neighbouring residents, on highway safety and on water quality. 6.14 Commercial equestrian developments include livery uses, riding schools and indoor riding arenas. Large-scale developments of this type can rarely be satisfactorily located in open countryside. They are best located within an existing building complex and as part of a farm diversification scheme. Farm buildings which are no longer required for their original purposes are often suitable for conversion to commercial equestrian use, to avoid the need for new buildings which may be intrusive in the countryside. 4 of 6 FP89

Livery 6.15 There is a growing demand for accommodation providing stabling for horses, for a fee, for owners who are unable to keep them at their own properties. This may take place at small stables which were previously used privately by their owners but are no longer so required. At the other end of the scale, it may involve the erection of large blocks of stables with associated exercise areas/sand paddocks, parking and other facilities. In the case of these larger-scale livery enterprises, extra care should be taken to minimise the potential intrusive impact of the development on the countryside and on neighbouring residents against the criteria set out in this guidance. Riding Schools and Indoor Riding Arenas 6.16 These developments can have a significant impact on rural areas, through the buildings used and the activity generated. Indoor facilities would not meet the PPG2 requirement limiting Green Belt development to essential facilities for outdoor recreation which preserve the openness of the Green Belt. Such buildings will only be permitted in very special circumstances. Large metal-clad buildings can have a considerable visual impact in the countryside; the siting, materials and screening should be chosen carefully to minimise this impact. 6.17 The activity generated by riding schools may be considerable, particularly where competitive events take place involving large numbers of visitors, sound amplification, and external illumination. Since such activity may frequently have a detrimental impact on the amenities of neighbouring residents, location away from dwellings is essential. Highway safety issues must also be carefully considered, particularly where the traffic generated includes towed horse boxes and horse-carrying lorries. 7. MONITORING AND REVIEW 7.1 The Council will monitor the effectiveness of this guidance and review as appropriate in the light of its performance and in response to any future changes in the planning law and policy guidance. Contact Details Any enquiries about this guidance can be addressed to: Caron Taylor Planning Assistant (Planning Policy) Chorley Borough Council Council Offices Gillibrand Street Chorley PR7 2EL Telephone: 01257 515741 E-mail: caron.taylor@chorley.gov.uk 5 of 6 FP89