GRANTS totalling £50,000 to two community groups have been approved following the controversial sale of a plot of land to a housing developer.

Blackburn with Darwen's health and wellbeing boss Cllr Damian Talbot has signed off £20,000 for Greenfields Community Centre and £30,000 to Mill Hill Juniors Football Club.

The cash comes from the authority's sale of the Lomond Gardens housing site in Cherry Tree to McDermott Homes.

The sale and subsequent granting of planning permission for a new 29 property housing estate enraged nearby residents in Old Gates Drive and the Rannoch Drive estate.

A report by Cllr Talbot said; "On March 12 2020, the executive board approved the disposal of council-owned land at Lomond Gardens to McDermott Homes for housing development.

"McDermott Homes submitted a planning application approved in July 2021.

"McDermott Homes are due to commence works in September 2021 and expected to complete the scheme by September 2023.

"Following the disposal of the land, the council wishes to support two community groups (Greenfields Community Centre and Mill Hill Juniors FC) located near to the site and likely to be valued by local residents by providing funding to each group in the form of a grant to support planned capital improvement projects.

"Each community group will need to submit proposals detailing their planned use of the grant on capital projects over the coming months and council officers will verify the payments on a drawdown basis.

"The council will work with each group to ensure that the appropriate evidence and documentation is provided to enable the release of funds.

"Procedures will be in place to ensure that the grant is spent on capital projects in accordance with the council’s requirements and that funds will only be released upon work being completed/commissioned and appropriate evidence being provided."

The sale and planning approval were authorised by Blackburn with Darwen Council despite 60 objections and a 119 signature petition from nearby householders opposing the housing development.