Proposals for the large shared home at Farnworth’s Victorian Wesley Mission building had previoulsy been turned down by Bolton council
The Victorian Wesley Mission building in Farnworth
An appeal against rejected plans to create a 24-bedroom shared house within a former church has been dismissed.
The proposals for the Victorian Wesley Mission building on Hardman Street near the centre of Farnworth, were described last November by council planners as having ‘a detrimental impact on the character and appearance of the existing building and surrounding area’.
Applicant J1 Investments Ltd, which pushed for the building to be converted over the two existing floors, with 12 rooms to each floor, appealed the council’s decision to the Planning Inspectorate.
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It has now turned down the appeal. A decision notice from the inspectorate has bee published on the council’s planning portal.
The inspector who oversaw the appeal, David Cross, said: “I conclude that the proposal would lead to unacceptable harm to the living conditions of future and nearby residents and that insufficient evidence has been submitted with regards to vehicle parking.”
Mr Cross’ report said the proposal would ‘lead to an oppressive environment for the occupants of the great majority of bedrooms and would not provide suitable levels of natural light for occupants of the majority of bedrooms on the ground floor’.
The proposal said each floor at the building would have a shared kitchen and dining room. All rooms would have en-suite bathrooms. The building is currently vacant, with it last being used as a photographic studio.
The November 2025 decision notice refusing the plans by Bolton council gave its reasons for turning it down. It stated: “The proposed development, by reason of its close proximity to neighbouring dwellings, would have a detrimental impact on the privacy of neighbouring residents.
“It would provide limited usable communal space and outdoor amenity space, together with providing inadequate levels of privacy, access to natural light and outlook for its occupants.”
An officer report said that two communal areas available, one on each floor, would not be large enough for storage, food preparation, seating and circulation for 12 residents.
It said: “In reality if all residents were to be present in this room at the same time, it is considered that the space would be cramped and circulation space and access to food preparation areas would be very limited.”
The site has been subject to a previous application for conversion of the building into nine flats which was rejected by the council in June, 2025.
That application was refused on the grounds that it would not provide a high standard of amenity for future occupiers.
