Plan for 53 homes on ‘eyesore’ land
ADEVELOPER has launched a bid for 53 houses on an “eyesore” site north of Great Harwood town centre.
Keepmoat Homes want to erect the new homes and demolish existing workshop buildings at the threeacre plot north and south of Britannia Street.
The site has been vacant for years with several redevelopment ideas granted planning permission, including a smaller residential scheme in 2019 and a nursing home back in 2005.
The planning statement in support says: “The entire site is very clearly previously developed land, the majority of which has laid vacant for a number of years and is having a significant detrimental impact on the Britannia Street streetscene. The site has been subjected to fly tipping over the years.”
The proposal is for 11 two-, 39 three-, and 3 fourbedroom houses incorporating mews, semidetached and detached homes. Ward Coun Patrick McGinley said this issue plus other concerns including parking had been raised with the developer, including at a Community Action Group (CAG) meeting.
He said: “Great Harwood has got a higher than average elderly population and what people want is more bungalows, but the builders refuse to build them.”
An objection from the council’s ecology officer
says the plan “involves demolition of buildings that are likely to hold potential for bat roosts”.
Keepmoat Homes said they have engaged with councillors and the local community throughout the development process, and set out justification for the proposed scheme in the
planning documents.
A spokesperson said: “The design of the scheme responds well to the context of the site, and indeed is similar to the Chandos Homes scheme that benefits from an extant planning permission, which was approved in 2019.
“We have recently been
made aware of the council’s ecology response and are in discussion with the Local Planning Authority to address the issues raised through the formal planning application process.”
Hyndburn council leader Miles Parkinson said: “It needs regenerating as it’s an eyesore.”