Give your views on Masterplan for Gib Lane

Residents’ views are being sought on a Masterplan for the Gib Lane area in Blackburn.

A consultation is being launched on Monday, August 11, on a Masterplan for the land between Gib Lane, Broken Stone Road and Livesey Branch Road, to become a distinctive and high quality housing development site in the draft new Local Plan for Blackburn with Darwen.

The Council has been working with the owners of the land to develop ideas for how the site could be developed. These ideas will be set out in a Masterplan which will guide future development.

Two drop-in sessions will be held at Livesey Community Hall, York Terrace, on August 13 and Livesey Children’s Centre, Andrew Close, on September 4, between 3.30pm and 7.30pm.

An exhibition will be on display showing how the emerging Masterplan has come together and explains the main issues that we have taken into account in developing it.

For instance, any development will need to improve and manage watercourses within the site and manage the flow of water to keep it away from existing properties.

Access from Livesey Branch Road, Gib Lane and Broken Stone Road will need to be safe and traffic flow managed.

The development must also create a network of attractive green spaces incorporating existing woodlands, water features and the existing Witton Weavers Way and there will be a need for a new primary school located within the development.

The consultation ends on September 22. Then the Council will consider all the comments made before finalising the Masterplan and formally adopting it.

Once adopted, the Masterplan will be taken into account by the Council in considering planning applications on the site.

Proposals for development on the site will need to take account of what the Masterplan says.

Councillor Maureen Bateson, Executive Member for Regeneration, said: “We want people’s views on any proposed Plan. Once adopted, the Masterplan will be taken into account by the Council in considering planning applications on the site. Proposals for any development on the site will need to take account of what the Masterplan says.”

If you cannot attend the drop-in sessions, you can view the exhibition online at www.blackburn.gov.uk/consultations or at Livesey Library during normal opening hours. Comments can be emailed to forwardplanning@blackburn.gov.uk or call Naz Rizvi on (01254) 585344.