Blackburn land deal paves way for 70 affordable homes
Together Housing Group has acquired two plots totalling 1.3 acres from Blackburn with Darwen Council as it pushes forward with its regeneration of the Shadsworth housing estate.
The sites in question include open space by Knuzden Brook and a play area. The plots have become a magnet for antisocial behaviour and fly tipping, according to a council report.
Under the terms of the deal, Together would maintain and enhance the play area and most of the open space on a 30-year lease at a peppercorn rent. The freehold of a small portion of the sites – less than a quarter of an acre – would be sold to Together to enable the completion of the housing association’s 70 affordable rental homes at Staffa Crescent.
Blackburn with Darwen Council would have first nomination rights on half of those properties.
The proposed residences include 22 with one bedroom, 26 with two, 19 with three, and three with four. The homes have been designed by MCAU.
The properties make up the second phase of Together’s revamp of the Shadsworth Housing Estate, a project it is delivering with assistance from Place Capital Group.
The first phase is well underway, with a new children’s hub behind the existing Shadsworth Community Centre is set to soon open.
Blackburn with Darwen estimates that the sale and leasing of the land will save it around £1,000 a year on general maintenance.
To learn more about the project, search for reference number 10/24/0669 on Blackburn with Darwen Council’s planning portal.
