A DEAL has been sealed for land in Padiham which will secure the future of a major floods defence and regeneration project.

A total of 18.5 acres of land around Grove Lane is being purchased by Burnley Council as part of a ‘growth corridor’ bid for the North West of the borough.

Under the scheme, which has been backed by the Environment Agency, around £6million will be invested in a 350-yard long embankment being constructed.

Work on the initiative has been earmarked for 2018-19 and 2019-20 but may be pushed back by up to 12 months.

Land around the former Baxi site has been identified for housing, with up to 250 houses promised, of which 10 per cent could be starter homes.

If employment elements, around Padiham town centre and Shuttleworth Mead business park, come to fruition then approximately 620 jobs could be created in the manufacturing and logistics fields. as part of the wider £9.25m project.

Councillors have been told the sale price for the Grove Lane land, for an undisclosed sum, has now increased.

Borough council chief executive Pam Smith had been asked to make the delegated decision, using her emergency powers, 'to ensure that the sale can proceed as agreed with the vendor and whilst HCA (Homes and Communities Agency) funds are still available through their approval processes'.

Eric Dickinson, democracy officer, said in a decision notice the 'acquisition of the site will help to ensure the securing of £7million of Growth Deal funding and the delivery of flood defence works in Padiham'.

Town hall chiefs have approved an increase in their capital budget, funded from a transformation reserve, to meet the costs.

The town centre in Padiham, alongside Whalley and Earby, were among the hardest-hit locations as a result of the Boxing Day floods in 2015, when the River Calder burst its banks.

While most of the affected shops along Burnley Road and surrounding streets reopened, work is still continuing on repairs to Padiham Town Hall.