A FORMER mill site turned scrapyard looks set to be turned into new homes at the fifth time of asking.

The 2.2 acres of land in Baxenden has been earmarked for eight four-bedroomed detached houses.

Hyndburn Council's planning committee has been recommended to approve the scheme on the former Alliance Mill on the township's Alliance Street proposed by Mr A Dunn.

It is the fifth proposal for the site last used as car scrapyard.

Planning permission was originally granted for 12 houses on the site in 2013 but developers backtracked and said it was not financially viable.

In 2015, they then submitted alternative proposals for 25 homes and 22 homes respectively, both rejected by planning bosses who said the site could not sustain that many homes.

In February 2019 a new application to Hyndburn Council was lodged to build 15 homes but then withdrawn in May.

In March 2020 Mr Dunn submitted a new scheme for eight houses.

On Wednesday this application will be debated by Hyndburn Council's planning committee.

A 67 signature petition in support of the proposal has been received.

A planning officer's report recommending approval with 24 conditions says: "The application site is a former scrapyard.

"The site is a highly constrained site with a culverted stream, Woodnook Water, running across the site, connecting to a small lake.

"There remains on the site part of the original mill building and external storage areas.

"It is proposed to demolish the existing mill buildings and erect eight four-bed detached two-storey dwellings in a linear arrangement along the sites eastern boundary.

"Access would be via a new entrance from Alliance Street.

"The proposed dwellings would be faced with natural stone with stone window surrounds, blue roof slates and dark grey uPVC windows.

"Plots one to seven would have an internal garage and plot eight is slightly larger due to an attached double garage.

"A five-metre wide estate road would provide access with an adjacent footway also provided.

"Beyond the rear garden boundaries to the south-west, a large area of the site is to be reclaimed for use as communal open space.

"The proposed development would result in the regeneration of a derelict brownfield site.

"It would contribute to the supply of good quality housing in the borough whilst also delivering considerable improvements to the visual appearance of the site, improving biodiversity and reducing local flood risk."