THE first stage of a £3.5million community redevelopment on Blackburn’s Shadsworth Estate is set for the green light tonight.

Twin Valley Homes has ambitious plans for a new community hub, retail shopping area and 14 new homes around Ballantrae Road to regenerate the wider area.

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It involves demolishing existing shops and buildings including the Health and Wellbeing Centre and five existing shops.

They will be relocated to the new hub and enterprise centre at the junction of Rothesay Road and Dunoon Drive under the scheme.

Eight two-bedroomed houses and six-three bedroomed homes will be built on the cleared site if Blackburn with Darwen borough planning committee approve the proposals tonight (thurs).

The proposal has been referred for councillors to debate after an objection from local residents on Ayr Road concerned about parking from the new development.

A report from officers tells the committee a separate planning application for the new hub can only go ahead if the one to demolish the existing buildings is approved.

The final community hub scheme will provide space for five retail units on the ground floor, with a multi-purpose space above for sports and recreation, a kitchen for breakfast clubs and cooking allotment foods.

It includes IT facilities for job clubs and ICT Training and a one-stop shop for advice on health, wealth and wellbeing.

The scheme will provide six more new homes, bringing the total to 20 all available for rent.

The 14 homes in the initial scheme will be two-storey semi-detached and “mews-style” properties.

There will be new areas for play, recreation and gardening.

The majority of the affected shops are now vacant.

The report to councillors recommends approval of the scheme subject to conditions so officers can use delegated powers to give the go-ahead for the rest of the scheme.

The move comes following a public consultation with local tenants about what facilities they wanted to see in their community.

Wendy Malone, Twin Valley Homes’ head of project management, said last year the social housing provider had listened to residents and ‘tried to match their hopes and expectations for the future of their community’.

She said the existing buildings were ‘tired’ and would be replaced by ‘modern, fit-for-purpose shops’ and and Enterprise Centre as the hub of the community.

Twin Valley hope to complete the project this autumn if the council approves the two planning applications.