A MAJOR study examining whether Burnley and Pendle families are being priced out of the housing market has been published.

Council bosses in the neighbouring authorities were asked to propose 16 sites – eight apiece – which could provide affordable housing.

And people looking to get a foot on the housing ladder, including couples and young families, are being asked to contribute.

Coun David Clegg, Pendle planning cabinet member, said: “Despite the current recession, the gap between wages and housing costs continues to grow.

"Increasing numbers of families are simply being priced out of a decent home.

"They are faced with the dilemma of living in crowded or sub-standard conditions, or moving away from the community in which they grew up.

"Affordable housing can help address this. It has an important role to play in the future of housing in Burnley and Pendle.

"We may be in a recession, but now is the time to plan and it's important for local people to have their say."

Land in Burnley identified includes a number of sites which are already under construction, like the Summit Works, Manchester Road, Park Mill, Leyland Road, and Spal Mill in Institute Street, Padiham, and another with planning permission for 110 homes, the former Dorma factory in Casterton Avenue.

But there are also other open spaces, like the former coal yard in Oswald Street, Gorple Mill at Worsthorne and Albion Mill in Padiham, which are under consideration.

Proposed sites for Pendle include Spen Brook Mill in Newchurch Road, land at Richard Street, Brierfield, Lamberts Woodyard in Manchester Road, Nelson, and land at Warehouse Lane, Foulridge.

Housing officials have been considering whether it is fair to impose 10, 20 or 30 per cent targets for affordable, or social, housing, at differing locations, both urban and rural.