Rovers’ Brockhall training ground plans won’t require an Environment Impact Assessment, Ribble Valley Borough Council has revealed.

The club last month submitted two screening opinion planning applications that outlined their intention to sell the land occupied by their Senior Training Centre site for housing development. The funds raised would then help finance a new facility at their current Academy training base in Brockhall Village in an amalgamation of both sites.

Up to 170 homes, a convenience store and a children’s play area are planned in place of the current STC site, close to The Avenue Hotel, with a public consultation held earlier this month. 

Rovers say they have received feedback from the parish council, local councillors, supporters and residents which will now be reviewed with their planning and design teams, before outlining their next steps.

A club spokesperson said: “Part of the process for investigating the concept of integrating our training facilities at Brockhall and building new homes on the current STC site has been a comprehensive public consultation. 

"This ran between March 11 -19 and we’ve received a good deal of feedback. We’re now working through all of that and, once we’ve done so, we will be in a position to update further and advise on our next steps.”

The first stages of the applications, which are inextricably linked, saw the need to ascertain whether an Environment Impact Assessment would be required. The council have now passed their judgement in a letter to the agents undertaking the work on Rovers’ behalf, Peacock and Smith Ltd.

John Macholc, head of planning services at RVBC, said neither site falls within sensitive area’ as defined in the regulations.

Outlining the council’s decision, he states: “It is not considered that a development of the nature outlined would have unusually complex and potentially hazardous environmental effects. I am satisfied that the documents that will accompany any formal planning application should address the relevant requirements.

“Having carefully assessed the potential impacts of a development of this scale it is the view of Ribble Valley Borough Council that the impact of the development would be of a localised nature and not have wider environmental impacts of more than local significance.”

While it concludes the plans ‘would result in a considerable increase in settlement size’ it doesn’t foresee any ‘potentially hazardous environmental effects’.

Mr Macholch adds: “Due to the scale of this development it is not considered to be a major development of more than local importance.”

With regards to the Academy site, the same conclusion is reached.

In that application, it adds that ‘the proposals would not result in a change of use of the land but would aim to provide a facility to amalgamate the junior and senior football coaching operations’.

It comes as residents living within the gated community of Brockhall Village have set up an action group, with 450 residents having outlined their objections to the plans. Chairman Mr Carl Allen told the Lancashire Telegraph: “The initial outrage in the village to these plans has been catastrophic.”

One objection to the plans has been published as part of the STC application, though the details of who submitted it has been redacted.

The objections state the current infrastructure would be unable to deal with ‘a significant increase in daily traffic volume’, while GP and dental surgeries, as well as scholars are ‘oversubscribed’.

The also brand Rovers’ statement that the facilities will be opened up for community use as ‘a PR stunt’.

It adds: “I am very much opposed to this development. It is not, in any way, an attempt by BRFC to integrate itself with this village and the surrounding area. Quite the opposite, you will alienate us all. It appears to be a financial strategy to ease the club’s downward spiralling poor financial position (by selling its existing training assets to build houses) caused by poor management in recent years.”

Rovers have stated the finances raised from the sale of the STC land would be solely used to fund the works on the Academy site.

“I think it’ll be 100 per cent for the new one, with potential top-ups as well, depending on the specification of the new site,” CEO Steve Waggott said last month.

“But all of the money generated from the sale of the STC will have to go into the new facility.

“It might sound a lot of money, whatever millions we get from this, depending on how many, if any, are allowed to built on this site, but that’s all going to have to go on the new facility.”

A dedicated website has been set up outlining the plans which can be found at https://roverstogetheratbrockhall.uk/news/