A first-stage application for nine new homes on vacant land in Colne has been submitted to the council.

M&A Holdings of St Paul’s Road, Nelson, applied for permission in principle to build up to nine new homes on land to the north of Turney Crook Mews, Ivegate, Colne.

The application is a first-stage application to establish whether the site is suitable for up to 10 new properties.

If this is deemed acceptable by planning officers at Pendle Council, a separate application with details of the proposed development will need to be submitted.

Supporting documents lodged alongside the application state that the proposed site is scrubland located about 150 metres to the south of North Valley Road, between Windy Bank and Ivegate, with access via a car park which serves Ivegate Mews.

The applicant envisages the nine new homes to be semi-detached or terrace and in a townhouse form.

The supporting statement reads: “The application site does not have any environmental restraint in terms of ecological or landscape designations, protected trees or historical or historical asset or any such designation close to the site. The site is not within a flood-risk area.

“This site has had previous planning permission granted on it for the construction of a block of 22 flats.

“Prior to that back to 2002, there were various applications made for dwellings and flats, some of which were approved and some withdrawn. However, as far as is known, development did not commence on any of those permissions.

“The site has already been deemed suitable for redevelopment, as evidenced by the previous permission granted at the site.

“The change in character of the site for nine dwellings will potentially be less than the previous approval for a large 22-flat development approved in 2017.

“In any event, a change in character of the site does not necessarily mean that harm is caused.

“There is no reason why appropriately designed dwellings could not be put on the site reflective of the site’s location in an urban area and there is no reason why development of the site would be out of character with the nearby existing properties.

“This is a sustainable site located within an urban area. Planning permission has previously been granted here for residential development. Bearing all this in mind, there is no reason why this permission in principle should not be granted.”

Pendle Council will make a decision on this application in due course. Anyone wishing to comment on the application has until November 8 to do so.