NEW drawings have been released of a luxury village on a former mill site.

Skipton Properties had tabled proposals a few years ago to bulldoze the 19th century Kearns of Waterfoot textiles mill.

Plans for the site included building 22 four and five bedroom homes, with private parking, landscaping, and a stable block with fields, with the scheme approved in 2015,

Since then, the mill has been demolished and a number of homes have been built and sold.

Now Skipton Properties has submitted a planning application to Rossendale Council seeking approval for a change in the design layout and the number of houses to what was previously approved.

The bid would see the development house 20 homes rather than 22 on the former mill site in Cowpe Road, Cowpe.

Agent J O Steel Consulting said the plans would add ‘much-needed housing ‘ to an area which had been an ‘eyesore’ for several years.

He said: “A number of these houses have been built and sold already .

“The mill had been derelict and an eyesore for a number of years.

“So the work Skipton Properties have done in acquiring the land has transformed the site.

“The homes will provide much-needed housing to the area.”

The new development would also include a mews court and landscaping, together with works to change the former mill lodge area to a wetland area with paths and new planting

Before the Cowpe site closed in 1996, between 80 and 100 employees worked there, dyeing carpets for large manufacturers such as Kidderminster and clothes for brands including Barbour.

Residents in the past have said they were happy with the development but have raised concerns about road safety.