Joy as Lower Darwen residents win eight-year adoption battle (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Joy as Lower Darwen residents win eight-year adoption battle

3:47pm Thursday 20th December 2012 in Blackburn By Dan Clough, Reporter

A HOUSING estate will finally be looked after by the council after an eight-year battle.

Oakdale estate in Lower Darwen has now been officially adopted by Blackburn with Darwen Council.

This means that residents on the estate will now benefit from a full range of council services, including gritting.

Previously, the estate had been the reponsiblity of developer Morris Homes.

Fernhurst councillors Jacqueline Slater, Denise Gee and John Slater had all been campaigning for the adoption.

Coun Slater said: “This is really good news for local residents.

“It means they will now get full council services including gritting, road sweeping and streetlight repairs. We have been fighting for this for eight years.

“Previously there were no grit bins and no dog bins and it will be a relief to people over parking concerns.

“When Blackburn Rovers were playing at home there were a lot of cars parking up here and there was no enforcement.

“It was often horrendous when there was a match.

“But it has finally been adopted and we are all over the moon.”

Coun Gee said: “We had trouble with United Utilities taking responsibility for the local sewers, combined with one of the builders going bankrupt, which made something that should have been relatively straight-forward, really difficult.

“I am so glad that at long last we have succeeded with the adoption.”

Darwen MP Jake Berry said: “This has been an ongoing problem since the estate was built.

“I would like to put on record my thanks to the local councillors who have worked together with residents and the council to finally get these roads adopted.”