8:30pm Tuesday 16th March 2010
By David Watkinson
A BOROUGH council has joined residents' fight against plans to build an ‘overbearing’ four-storey flats development.
Plans would see the boarded-up former Hill Top care home, Manchester Road, Baxenden, demolished and a flats with landscaping and parking built at the site next to the Haworth Art Gallery.
The proposals have run into opposition from residents who said that the proposed building would be an over-development of the site and out of character with the conservation area in which it is located.
English Heritage has also criticised the developer’s proposals saying that the scale and design of the building would damage the character of the area.
Hyndburn Council has now agreed to work alongside local residents to develop a design brief for the area that will act as a guide to any future development of the site.
Though home owners in Manchester Road and Newton Drive said they welcomed development at the site, which has been plagued by anti-social behaviour, they feel a four-storey development, with a fifth level in the roof space, is too imposing.
Coun Kath Pratt said: “We’ve listened carefully to the concerns that residents have expressed about the plans put forward by Lancashire County Council, and I think that the steps that we’re now taking will make sure that we get a development on the site that is right for both the residents and the conservation area.”
Peter Cross, who lives directly opposite the site, said: “The proposals that had come forward from Lancashire County Council and its developer I-Care were completely out of place.
“Residents were not only concerned about the size and look of the building, but also about how much traffic it would generate and the fact that parking was totally inadequate. What most residents want to see there is some good quality family homes that will fit in with the area.”
Manchester Road resident Ann McEvoy said: “What we want now is for as many residents as possible to come forward with their views so that we get the best possible scheme in place. This is a really important site for Baxenden, so it’s important that we get it right.”
Lancashire County Council said talks were underway with developers about the site.
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