PROPOSALS to build almost 60 homes are recommended for approval providing £17,000 funding is granted to replace woodland.

Plans are to go before Hyndburn Council planning committee to build 57 homes in Great Harwood at land near Salisbury Street, Park Road and Balfour Street.

The plans from Urban Life (Manchester) Ltd are recommended for approval, however council bosses say £17,350 needs to be contributed in section 106 funds to replace woodland.

An estimated £15,190 will be to plant 84 replacement trees required under the council’s tree compensation standard.

Meanwhile £2,160 will be for 4,500 metre squared of replacement woodland.

The scheme will involve 16 detached homes, 26 semi-detached, 10 terraced house and five bungalows.

Cllr Noordad Aziz, who represents Great Harwood on Hyndburn Council, said: “It will get away from just having terraced houses, and adds a good mixture of different homes to the area.

“Given we have housing quotas we have to meet as well it looks like a good development.”

The plans were initially submitted earlier this year for 67 homes at the site, but were reduced to 57 homes after the planning authority requested the applicant omits properties within 50 metres of the ABP Blackburn abattoir.

The site is currently closed.

However a permit is still in place and the facility could be used by the permit holder at any time, which could cause a risk of odour.

Concerns had been raised by Lancashire County Council highways department that the plans could ‘reintroduce a historical rat-run between Harwood Lane and Park Road’.

However, providing traffic-calming measures were put in place and Salisbury Street was brought up to adoptable standards, it said it had no objection to the proposed scheme.

A public consultation was held at Great Harwood Golf Club the end of last year by the applicant to give residents a chance to have their say before plans were finalised.

The applicant said the response was ‘mostly positive’ with several residents noting how the land is ‘an eye-sore at present’.

The plans will go before Hyndburn planning committee at a meeting at Scaitcliffe House this morning.

A statement of community involvement from the applicant said: “It is clear from the consultation that the principle of the proposed development is accepted by the majority.

“Feedback on the proposed development was overwhelmingly positive.”