Wrea Green nature center 'could close' due to planning rule

Fylde Council said what was built “differed significantly from the approved plans”

BBC / Gina Millson A large newly built red brick building, single storey with black window frames and a verandah extension to the front — Fylde Council said what was built “differed significantly from the approved plans”

A memorial woodland and farm in Lancashire could be forcibly closed after an “unfair” planning row.

Blackburns Farm Nurseries and Wildlife Center in Wrea Green was set up by the landowner as a charity during the Covid pandemic to try to improve the local ecosystem and bring people closer to nature.

But planning officers want to make changes to their original planning permission for the size of a cafe and education centre, and the material used in the cladding makes the project ‘not viable’, said farm manager Kirsty Cropper.

Fylde Council said what was built “differed significantly from the approved plans”.

The project was initially granted planning permission with several conditions, including the size of the café and the material used to clad the building.

The landowner then appealed some of the conditions, asking if he could have a larger cafe in the center and keep the brick appearance of the building rather than clad it in wood, which would increase their insurance premiums.

‘Seems cruel’

Ms Cropper said: ‘We think the things they have asked us to do are unfair and they also make the project unviable, which to us seems almost cruel.

“The two things we asked for out of the 28 they asked for are the only two things we ask for them to remove.”

The farmers had hoped to use the income from the cafe to fund the charity and pay for the maintenance of the memorial wood and wanted 40% of the building to be used for the eatery.

In the memorial forest, more than 1,200 trees have been planted in the field.

Ms Cropper said the council was “setting us up” and that she would appeal.

Blackburns Farm Nurseries and Wildlife Center in Wrea Green was set up by the landowner as a charity during the Covid pandemic

BBC/Gina Millson A sign in a field reading Blackburns Farm Nurseries and Wildlife Centre — Blackburns Farm Nurseries and Wildlife Center in Wrea Green was set up by the landowner as a charity during the Covid pandemic

A Fylde Council spokesperson said permission was initially granted “on a site where such a development would not normally be permitted”, but permission was granted subject to conditions. However, the applicant “then chose to erect a building that deviated significantly from the approved plans”, he said.

“While the council has been able to work with the applicant to successfully resolve some of the discrepancies, others remain that the council believes cannot be compromised.”