AN INDUSTRIAL estate once the centre of ambitious housing development plans has gone up for sale.

The cleared 27-acre Brookside Industrial Estate, in Oswaldtwistle, has been given an asking price of £1.95 million.

Last year, plans to turn it into a new neighbourhood – complete with 53 detached and semi-detached homes, a 70-place children’s nursery, and a care home with room for 30 beds – were refused by the council.

The site formerly housed Joseph Metcalf, which closed in 2008 after trading for more than 120 years in East Lancashire.

Although a public meeting held at Stanhill Working Men’s Club to discuss the plans drew several positive comments, some residents voiced concerns over an increase in traffic.

The council refused permission and said the site should be kept for business, had no provision for affordable housing, didn’t have enough public open space planned, and said developers failed to provided enough technical information.

Oswaldtwistle councillor Peter Britcliffe, said: “I’m disappointed the council threw out the plans because they were exciting and would have revitalised that area of Oswaldtwistle.

“Let’s hope now the land is up for sale it will attract a developer who can do something with it.

“It’s nonsense that the council said the land should be kept for business use because there are plenty of industrial parks.

“It’s astounding that the council should do that and not bring more people into the town.”

Marketing the 11 hectare site, Taylor Weaver Chartered Surveyors said: “The existing mill and buildings have been demolished and we are able to offer a cleared development opportunity suitable for industrial, commercial, and residential use, subject to planning permission.”

The company said the land was split into 20 acres within the urban boundary, with just short of eight acres classed as being in the greenbelt.

The site was bought from Joseph Metcalf, an historic gardening supplies factory by Lincoln-based William Sinclair Holdings.

Metcalf’s, using the Gem logo, sold countless popular products in garden centres up and down the country, including grass seeds, composts and fertilisers.

Shocked Workers were told the factory was closing after more than 120 years in East Lancashire in 2008.

Bernard Burns, chief executive of William Sinclair, said: “When we bought Joseph Metcalf we were not planning to close it down.

“But you have to be competitive in this market. The option we were investigating — that of extending the site — depended on getting planning permission.

“But the Hyndburn planning office indicated it was not likely the site would be granted the permission we required in the timescale we needed in order for it to be commercially sustainable.”