A BID to safeguard the future of Hapton Boatyard could take a major leap forward next week as plans for seven split-level bungalows are considered by councillors.

Borough planning officers have recommended the scheme, on the banks of the Leeds Liverpool Canal, for approval, after no protests were raised by the Canal and Rivers Trust and the Environment Agency.

But campaigners from Burnley Wildlife Conservation Forum have voiced their disquiet, expressing concerns that the homes’ gardens will encroach on the canal edge.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Forum members are also unhappy with the loss of a number of young trees on the site and the landscaping works which have been drawn up for the ‘wildlife corridor’.

A neighbour is also concerned that the intended homes would spoil the view for neighbours and create parking problems around the village site.

But Christine Ashworth, the boatyard’s owner, said in a planning statement: “The current economic downturn and competition from Barden Marina has affected the business and its profitability.

“Since the recession there has been very little work for the yard and the sale of part of the site seems the most appropriate way of keeping the boatyard going.”

Council planning officers, after being told that the location has ‘low ecological value’, believe that the project is sustainable within the green belt.

The final decision will rest with the council’s development control committee, which meets next Thursday.

Earlier this year proposals for two more split-level bungalows were approved by the committee for another portion of the boatyard site.