10:46am Friday 24th July 2009
By Peter Magill
YOUNG couples and single people are being priced out of some of Pendle’s most sought-after addresses, councillors were told.
Villagers in places like Barrowford and Trawden are being forced to relocate to cheaper homes in nearby Nelson and Colne because of a lack of affordable housing.
Coun Ian Lord, of Barrowford Parish Council, made a special plea to Pendle Council’s executive as members discussed a housing spatial needs study.
He said: “There is still a problem, which has been identified as one of our main concerns, regarding the number of affordable homes in the village. It has got to the stage where young people brought up in Barrowford cannot afford to rent or buy properties. The parish council is waiting to see if any additional land could be allocated for such housing.
“There is very little land in the village which can now be built on, which would provide anything more than a couple of affordable homes. But there are several smaller sites belonging to Pendle where there are currently old garages, where you could build around 10 affordable homes.”
Coun Lord did recognise that the sale of any such land could result in it being uneconomic to erect more than a couple of lower-cost properties.
Coun Ann Kerrigan added: “This is a big concern and it is very sad that people who are brought up in an area cannot afford to live there any more. There are other areas I know, like Trawden where, if you wanted a council house, you had to be born there.”
Council leader Coun John David said the executive had recently received a presentation from local landlord Housing Pendle regarding the prospect of building additional homes.
He added: “But as far as affordable homes are concerned they have got issues in terms of the funding which is available to them.”
Later, councillors heard a moratorium on house building in Pendle looks set to be lifted as developers need to erect 360 extra homes a year to meet projected demands.
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