Hundreds of new homes given the green light

Blackburn with Darwen Council has welcomed an announcement that gives the green light to hundreds of new homes.

The Housing Minister Gavin Barwell today confirmed that the government would back the development of around 850 new homes in Blackburn over the next 10 years.

The move follows an application by the Council to have an area in the South East of the town declared an official Housing Zone and as a result qualify for funding to help prepare the potential sites.

The Council can now bid for a share of an £18 million funding pot.

 

Funding can be used for a variety of purposes including improving surrounding infrastructure such as building new roads, commissioning feasibility studies, marketing to prospective developers and to purchase land to make current sites easier to develop.

The Housing Zone designation will see the new homes delivered on what is brownfield and or public sector owned land. The areas identified for the new housing are at Haslingden Road, Blackamoor and Fishmoor Drive as set out in the local plan.

The zone was chosen due to its proximity to the M65 and new employment sites that are being development and the recent road improvements to junction five.

Councillor Phil Riley, Executive member for Regeneration, said: “We welcome the news from government, which now allows us to get on with the business of making these sites available to developers.  Creating new housing is a key part of our strategy for the borough and is vital to economic growth and attracting new investment.”