Hundreds of homes for Highercroft

The borough’s biggest planning application in more than 20 years will take a step forward this week.

The Fishmoor Development Area will be the most ambitious development since the creation of Blackburn with Darwen Council as a Unitary Authority in 1998.

It will bring a range of different houses and much-needed development to the area, and be a key site for hospital workers, families and young people to come into the area.

It will be discussed at this week’s Executive Board on Thursday, March 12th, where the disposal of land to the developers is set to be approved.

The plans will see 600 homes build on land around Highercroft in the Fishmoor Drive area.

The scheme is a partnership between the Council, Together Housing and its partner, private developer Countryside Homes. There will be a mix of properties for sale, rent and shared ownership with affordable social housing and family homes.

In the first phase, there will be 380 homes built on three sites off Roman Road and Fishmoor Drive, near to Royal Blackburn Hospital.

A fourth site off Fishmoor Drive is earmarked for development at a later date, and will add more than 200 homes to the area.

A pre-planning consultation has started for residents in the area and will run to XXX. Following the decision a planning application will be submitted by Countryside Homes.

Councillor Phil Riley, the Council’s Executive member for Growth and Development, said:

This is the biggest housing development in the history of Blackburn with Darwen as a unitary authority, and will eventually see 600 houses built. This has been a very complicated deal to put together and our officers here at Blackburn with Darwen have worked very hard with our partners to bring the joint venture to this point.

I am delighted to be able to move forward with this. It will bring huge benefits to the borough and is very positive news indeed. It will open up new homes for people and is massively building on improvements already taking place, and showing that Blackburn is a major place for investors.”

Tony Ward, Head of New Business for Together Housing said:

Together Housing and Countryside held a public consultation meeting to present local people with indicative development plans to regenerate the Fishmoor Estate area. The plans are still subject to planning approval but, if approved, we hope to work with Countryside to deliver a significant amount of regeneration, new build homes and much needed additional housing options to local people.”

Mark Hadfield, Managing Director, Partnerships Merseyside & Cheshire West, Countryside, said:

We are supporting Blackburn with Darwen Council and Together Housing in their proposal to regenerate parts of the Fishmoor Estate and were pleased to offer our help at the recent Public Consultation event.”