THREE "superschools" in Burnley and Pendle are nearer to being built.

Lancashire County Council development control committee has voted to support plans for Unity College in Burnley, Marsden Heights Community College, Brierfield, and Sir John Thursby Community College and Ridgewood School for people with learning difficulties in Burnley.

The three sites are the second planned phase in the county council's £250million Building Schools for the Future (BSF) shake-up of education in the two boroughs.

All eight BSF "superschools" came into existence in September last year, but a start has not yet been made on the new buildings.

Outline planning permission was given to the three second phase developments last year, but county councillors have now agreed that conditions laid down have been met.

Marsden Heights Community College, which replaced Edge End and Mansfield High Schools, is split between sites on Elland Road and Hibson Road.

The approved plan includes demolishing the college on Hibson Road and returning it to parkland, although county council and Pendle Council are still negotiating over the ownership of the new site.

Unanimous approval was given for Sir John Thursby Community College, which merged Walshaw High and Barden High Schools, and Ridgewood School, a 90-place facility for students with learning difficulties.

Both schools will be built in the grounds of the current St John Thursby site in Eastern Avenue.

All committee members also agreed to support plans for the new Unity College building on land at Lower Towneley playing fields. The college has replaced Towneley High School.

Although councillors decided most of the planning conditions had been fulfilled, they asked for details of the fencing and flood defences on the new school site to be brought back to them for approval, and officers will continue to monitor any other outstanding conditions.

The county council owns most of the proposed site, but plans to compulsorily purchase the remaining small area will go before a public inquiry in August.

Both Unity College and Marsden Heights Community College have proved to be contro-versial schemes.

Development control committee chairman John Cavanagh said: "We have listened to local residents and addressed as many of their concerns as possible.

"The committee will keep a close eye on progress and meet again to check that the conditions laid down are being met.

"This means staff and children of all the colleges can look forward to moving into state-of-the-art facilities on one site."

The three 1,050-place colleges and Ridgewood are due to be completed by September 2009.