INTERNATIONAL designer Wayne Hemingway is to bring his fashion flair to Blackburn by drawing up plans for a 169-home estate.

Raised and educated in the town, he exclusively revealed to the Lancashire Telegraph that he is in charge of the 25-acre site between Gib Lane and Livesey Branch Road.

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It follows months of controversy over Blackburn with Darwen Council plans to build thousands of executive homes on greenfield sites in the borough and protests over redevelopment plans around Gib Lane.

However, Mr Hemingway said he was confident of creating ‘attractive and affordable’ village-style development.

Already he has added a small number of two bedroomed houses to the original ‘Livesey Green’ plans for 145 three, four and five-bedroomed homes approved in outline by Blackburn with Darwen Council in June.

And Mr Hemingway has renamed it ‘Green Hills Blackburn’ and instead of the proposed ‘village green’ he will provide two interlinked ones on different levels.

Plans also include a community hub with a cafe, bakery or shop.

Two strips of land originally considered unsuitable for development have been included after extensive drainage work by United Utilities.

The 55-year-old said the new properties would have a ‘barn’ feel combining industrial heritage with a rural atmosphere.

Mr Hemingway, who will be working on the project with his Padiham-born wife Gerardine, said: “Blackburn has given me so much and I want to give something back.

“This development is part of that and will hopefully offer a standard of new housing not seen in the town in my lifetime.

“It will be great to be coming home to do something for the town which is showing a new life and vitality.

“It will be ‘green’, low density, environmentally-friendly and aimed at providing affordable stylish homes for local people and properties for aspirational business in the town.

“I want to combine the industrial heritage of Blackburn with the rural feel of the Ribble Valley, a village in an urban setting.

“It’s a great setting with great views that we want to preserve and enhance.”

Cllr Phil Riley, borough regeneration boss, said: “The fact that internationally-famous Wayne Hemingway is coming home to design this scheme with his local knowledge is great news.

“It will set a benchmark for other developments around the town.”

Livesey with Pleasington Tory councillor John Pearson said: “Someone like Wayne taking charge of this scheme is good news but I am still concerned about overdevelopment and traffic issues in the ward and across the town.”

Mr Hemingway, who made his name for the ‘Red or Dead’ designer brand, has recruited architects Mark and Jane Massey of the idpartnership (CORR) to assist him.

The group have previously worked together on the multi-sward winning ‘Staiths (CORR) South Bank’ 700 home estate in Gateshead.

The development, due to start in January subject to detailed planning permission, will be built by Kingswood Homes of Preston.

The new estate will use the type of stone, wood and brick characteristics of Blackburn and East Lancashire and retain a section of the historic Witton Weavers Way.

It is part of council’s Gib Lane Masterplan and one of three developments in the designated area of which a second by Wain Homes NW of 79 properties is under way on 12 acres nearby.

The third is yet to seek planning permission but ‘Green Hills’ is seen as one of the first landmark developments needed to kick-start council plans to build 9,000 homes, including 4,000 executive rural-style houses, in the borough.

Mr Hemingway said: “This will not be any ordinary housing estate it is going to something special to match the regeneration of Blackburn town centre.

“It will have lots of green space, places for people to walk and for children to play.

“I and my wife Gerardine have done several other housing developments across Britain.

“We want to bring that skill and experience to Blackburn and East Lancashire.

“We are using architects that we know and Kingswood Homes who know the area and will be closely involved in it.

“We will be in Blackburn a lot and may even live on site for two days a week as we did on Staiths.”

Neighbouring Meadowhead Tory councillor Keith Murray, who led the Greenfield Focus Group, said: “Council housing plans have been approved by the government and its planning department must ensure the masterplan for Gib Lane is adhered to with appropriate developments.

“I remain very concerned about the problems of traffic and overdevelopment on greenfield sites this involved.”

Andrea Fortune, Kingswood’s development manager, said: “We are very excited to be working with Wayne Hemingway.”

Their scheme is the initial stage of siting 500 homes at the farmland site, with future plans including a new primary school promoted by Rule Five land, retaining Witton Weavers Way and Cockridge Wood.

Rule Five are working with other developers to secure five further phases extending the development to Horden Lane and Broken Stones Road.