Blackburn seeks green light for Bank Hey
The council has been asked to sign off a masterplan to develop 600 homes on more than 100 acres between Heys Lane and Bog Height Road in Earcroft, south of the town centre.
Prepared by planning and architecture consultancy Cass Associates, the masterplan proposes that half of those homes could be delivered by 2026, subject to approvals.
The development would be made up of eight clusters of houses, delivered across four phases by three different housebuilders, separated by green space and connected by foot and cycle paths.
The first phase would see the delivery of 355 units, according to the masterplan, with a further 100 in phase two. Phases three and four would comprise 40 and 115 units, respectively.
Section 106 contributions totalling £7.3m would be sought for highways improvements and a new primary school at Gib Lane.
Owned by five different parties, the land is allocated for housing development under Blackburn’s local plan.
Three families own the majority of the site, while the remainder, two small portions to the north west, is owned by Blackburn with Darwen Council and Lancashire County Council.
LeaHough is the chartered surveyor for the project and SCP is advising on transport.
A report to the council executive said: “The masterplan has been prepared collaboratively with the landowners to guide the layout and form of new housing development on the site.
“It seeks to create a high quality, distinctive neighbourhood, identifying spatial principles for land use, transport, design and green infrastructure.
“Fundamentally, it provides a structure to the development of the whole site and ensures that it is not brought forward in a piecemeal manner.”