About This Project
Project overview
Client: Gafoor Pure Halal Ltd
Location: Preston, Lancashire
Sector: Commercial and industrial
Project status: Approved
PWA Planning secured a Certificate of Lawful Existing Use for Gafoor Pure Halal Ltd, providing long-term operational certainty for one of the UK’s largest chicken processing businesses.
The Preston-based business has operated in the area for more than 60 years and employs over 500 people locally, with its current facility established for more than two decades.
What we did
PWA Planning successfully secured a Certificate of Lawful Existing Use following a complex and long-running enforcement matter relating to operational hours at the site.
The case centred on a breach of Condition 3 of planning permission 06/2000/0361, which restricted operations to between 7am and 9pm and prohibited activity on Sundays and Bank Holidays. As the business expanded over time, operations extended beyond these permitted hours.
Following the refusal of an earlier Certificate of Lawfulness of Existing Use or Development (CLEUD) application, PWA progressed an appeal to demonstrate that the extended operating hours had become lawful through more than ten years of continuous use.
Given the scale and complexity of the operation, the appeal required detailed analysis of extensive evidence. PWA led the coordination, review and presentation of a substantial evidential record, including operational logs, staffing information and transport data, to clearly demonstrate the long-established nature of the site’s operations.
The Planning Inspector ultimately agreed that the breach of condition had persisted continuously for more than ten years and granted the certificate, regularising the site’s operational hours and providing clarity on the lawful planning position.
Only a small number of representations were received during the appeal process, reflecting the limited wider impacts associated with the site’s operations despite the technical breach of condition.
The decision enables the business to continue operating with greater certainty and demonstrates the importance of robust evidence in lawful development appeals, particularly where operational requirements have evolved over time.