MORE than half a village have committed to helping block a ‘disastrous’ proposal which could see a further 170 homes built on the site of a football club’s training ground.

Many of those living in the gated community of Brockhall Village have pledged to do all they can to stop Blackburn Rovers from selling off the site of their senior training centre, which is based in the community’s boundary.

The club last month outlined their intentions to integrate their two Brockhall Village-based training centres into a single ‘state-of-the-art’ facility that would bring all players, coaches and facilities together under one roof.

The move would see the site of the current Senior Training Centre vacated, with up to 170 homes built - something villagers say would destroy the area the live in.

As a result of the proposal an action group has been formed, with residents committed to do all they can to block the housing development.

Chairman Mr Carl Allen explained: “The initial outrage in the village to these plans has been catastrophic. We immediately decided that something needed to be done and so we formed this group and started looking at potential ways to block the scheme.

“The biggest issue we have is the area is already over-subscribed with houses and what they want to do is knock down the facility to build more. This will increase the village population by 50 per cent.

“There are massive implications in doing this – highways, drainage, general infrastructure in the area such as schools, doctors’ surgeries and dentists. The facilities will not be able to cope.

“People have very real concerns about what this could do to the area it could be disastrous. In our opinions this could destroy our village. As people who live here we care about it very much and will do all we can in our power to stop it.”

Funds are also now being raised to enable the group to draft in the help of consultants and lawyers as they move forward.

When the Lancashire Telegraph spoke to Mr Allen, 450 villagers had already outlined their objections to the plans – more than half the village’s population.

In addition, Mr Allen claimed that only a small percentage of those living in the area had received notification of the public consultation into the plans, which was launched last week.

As a result, he has contacted all major stakeholders in the project, asking that all residents be supplied with the relevant information and that the consultation process should be extended by 14 days to allow for the relevant feedback to be collated.

Mr Allen, who said that villagers and the club have coexisted happily side-by-side for 30 years, added: “A lot of people in the village support the club and they are alienating them. On the footballing side of things there is a feeling of betrayal and the destroying the legacy that Jack Walker left – that is what they are telling me.”

Rovers moved into their base at Brockhall in Village in the early 1990s, and the second site, that of the former Brockhall Hospital in 2001. The plan would see the first-team staff and players, alongside their counterparts from the Academy, be based in one facility, funded by the sale of the STC.

The two applications are inextricably linked, meaning works to the current Academy site would not take place without the sale of the STC land.

A club spokesperson said: “We are consulting with the community on the proposals and want to have the conversations that will help us with the best set of designs. We have briefed the Parish Council and would be open to discussions with the residents’ association. We are at the outline planning application stage, so early in the process of testing the principle. If approved, the residential development would come with a comprehensive package of investment into community services and infrastructure, as is a required part of the planning process."

More information on the plans can be found at https://roverstogetheratbrockhall.uk/