PLANs are in the pipeline for a large housing development to be built on land off Valley Road in Barnoldswick.
Current landowner Conurbia Ltd would look to see the area, which includes a former Silentnight car park and unused allotment land, developed into 72 two and three-bedroom affordable homes.
According to Conurbia, Cornell Group, a building company who specialise in the construction of affordable housing, has come forward with a firm proposal to buy the land and complete the development which will include access off Valley Road and a total of 108 car parking spaces created.
However, to create that access, a section of embankment on Valley Road would need to be sold to Conurbia. Other potential access routes via the existing one off Long Ing Lane or another on Ethel Street are not viewed as viable by either Pendle Council or Conurbia.
Councillors on Pendle Council’s West Craven Committee decided in October that they didn’t want to sell the entire strip of embankment but the item came back to the committee this month when further information came to light about the housing development.
Roger Shufflebottom, owner of Conurbia, has said just a small section of the embankment is needed for purchase to create desirable access to the proposed site.
A decision was deferred at November’s committee meeting to allow discussions to take place between councillors, Pendle Council planning staff, residents, representatives from Conurbia and Cornell and Silentnight bosses next Thursday (November 22nd) at the Rainhall Centre.
As it stands, it will go back to committee in December for a decision to be made.
Mr Shuttlebottom has described the plans as “a unique opportunity for the town” and says affordable housing is “much needed” in Barnoldswick.
If it goes ahead, it will take two years to build the development.
On the need for housing, Mr Shufflebottom said: “I think it’s been proven. Nobody has built houses in Barnoldswick for quite a long time as far as I know. I believe the housing needs department have said ‘we will support it’.
“There’s absolutely no commercial or financial advantage coming through Valley Road, it’s in the community’s best interests in the long term.”