Controversial plan back

CAMPAIGNERS in Bacup have been alerted by the return of controversial plans to turn the Back Meadows into a housing estate.

The plans for 71 new houses on the greenfield site to the north of Fieldfare Way were rejected by the council’s planning committee last December, but a new proposal has now come forward from applicants McDermott Homes. The 3.2-hectare site would see 39 three-bed and 32 four-bed properties built alongside 10 affordable homes.

The new plan currently has nine objections, raising concerns over loss of green space, increased traffic, parking problems and increased risk of flooding.

In December 2019, planning committee members overturned officers’ recommendation to approve a 71-home scheme, concluding that “its drawbacks had been downplayed and outweighed their benefits”.

Last year 600 residents signed a petition against the proposal.

Janet Boon, who lives on Pennine Road, said: “Nobody wants them to build on there, nobody. It’s exactly the same fight we had the first time. I don’t think there’s anything different in it.”

A McDermott Homes spokesperson said they were engaging with the local community and councillors in an ongoing consultation process.

The application design and access statement says: “The provision of 71 new dwellings on the site would provide a significant contribution towards Rossendale Borough Council’s overall housing needs within a sustainable location which affords the proposed development as a significant benefit.”