A DERELICT former mill site should be redeveloped and given a new lease of life, community leaders have said.

Councillors in Hyndburn want housing to be built on the former Woodnook Mill land, off Mount Street, in Accrington.

The boarded-up site has been vacant for a number of years and the old mill buildings were finally torn down in 2009.

Despite proposals for housing being approved by planners in the past, they have never materialised.

Cllr Munsif Dad, who represents the area on Hyndburn Council, called for this to change to address the dire need for housing in the area.

He said: "As a district council, we've always tried to push that something needs to be done on the site.

"Plans for 50 houses were approved a few years ago on the site but there were issues with flooding and the culvert on the land.

"I hope that someone will come forward with plans for the site as Hyndburn is in dire need for housing.

"So any developer that comes forward with plans for housing, industrial or any other use for the site, we'd be happy to work with them to see what could be done.

"The site is boarded up at the moment and there are issues with fly-tipping.

Cllr Tony Dobson, leader of the Conservative group on Hyndburn Council, said he would like to see a residential scheme on the site.

He said: "We don't need any more industry in that area, so a nice residential scheme could be created.

"In a perfect world, all vacant land would be developed on and turfed up and made into a piece of open green space.

"But I understand past developers have had a look at the site, which is an old dying works and the cost of cleaning up the site versus how much they'd sell the houses for doesn't add up."

Hyndburn's MP Graham Jones has also written a letter to the council asking what the latest is with the site.

Simon Prideaux, chief planning and transportation officer, said in his response that outline planning permission was granted for the development of housing on the site in January 2013.

He said: "However, applications for the approval of reserved matters were never submitted and the permission has now lapsed.

"No further planning applications have been submitted for the development of the site and although there was some consideration given to the development of a social housing scheme this did not progress.

"Although the former mill buildings on the site have been demolished, a main river is culverted beneath the site and this presents a constraint to future development owing for the need for easements either side of the culvert to be maintained.

"Notwithstanding this, the site remains a site that would be suitable for residential development and it will be considered as a potential housing site in the development of the borough's local plan."