The applicant also pointed to Fylde's housing land supply shortfall, saying the authority could currently demonstrate only 4.35 years of deliverable housing land. However, a delegated officer report concluded the site was outside any defined settlement boundary and represented an unsustainable location for residential development. The council also concluded the development would harm the area's rural character. Concerns raised included road safety, traffic levels, sustainability, loss of countryside, environmental impacts, flood risk and pressure on local services. Meanwhile, Natural England initially requested further information because of the site's proximity to internationally important habitats around the Ribble Estuary.