A ‘BLIGHT on the landscape of Darwen’ could be set to disappear after the site was put up for sale.

Part of the old Belgrave Mill site in Darwen has been placed on the market for £900,000.

The old wallpaper manufacturing facility was more than 160 years old when it was demolished to make way for 127 houses.

Blackburn with Darwen Council approved a plan for the homes on the site in December 2005, of which 52 have been constructed and sold.

The remaining space, which has been levelled, has permission for 75 houses but construction work has never been started.

The property comprised a six-storey office and factory unit to the Bolton Road frontage with further floors of diminishing height.

The buildings were no longer in productive or industrial use and the ground was heavily contaminated with a variety of industrial chemicals.

In addition to the contamination, many of the structures contained significant quantities of asbestos.

Cllr Peter Hollings, who represents the area on Darwen Town Council, said: “I feel sympathy for the people who live in the area because the site is absolutely shocking.

“It’s a blight on Darwen and the dip in the housing market in recent years has caused the housing scheme to stall.

“The site also has a problem with anti-social behaviour and I would be delighted if it was to sell and for houses to be constructed there.”

A spokeswoman for Duffin’s Estate Agents which is marketing on behalf of the owner, said: “We have a lot of interest in this sale and five people have already contacted us directly.

“We expect offers to be submitted soon in the region of the £900,000 asking price.”

Greenway Street resident Paul Browne, whose dad Nathan worked at the mill, said: “My dad used to work at the mill in the 1950s when he was an oil and greaser and maintained the engines.

“It was a huge shock to the local economy when it closed down and it hit the town hard.

“It used to employ around 250 people and was one of the largest employers in the area.”

Belgrave Mill was previously an old wallpaper manufacturing facility.

The buildings were multi-storey and were built into the hillside, with a very prominent mill chimney.

The site extended to five acres with a difference in level of 21 metres from Bolton Road to Equity Street.

The factory and chimney had been a prominent local landmark for more than 100 years until manufacturing ceased in 2004.