Town centre land plagued by fly-tipping and 'various nefarious activities' to be completely transformed
Seven four-storey ‘townhouses’ on a steeply sloping fly-tipped patch of land near Darwen centre have been approved by councillors despite fears the proposal was ‘shoving too much into one small spot’.
The application by Birkdale Building Services for the new homes on land adjacent to Spring Gardens was granted permission by Blackburn with Darwen planning committee on Thursday.
The meeting approved the scheme despite four public objections on grounds including access, the number and size of the properties and parking and opposition by Tory planning spokesman Cllr Paul Marrow.
He said: “Are we trying to shove too much into one small spot?”
But committee chairman and Darwen West councillor Dave Smith said: “This site has been a mess for a long, long time.
“There used to be garages there which have been removed.
“It has been used for fly-tipping and various nefarious activities.
“I think this is the best use for it. The design is good.
“It’s a welcome development compared to what it is now.”
Cllr Marrow abstained in the vote on the scheme.
Full planning permission was given for the construction of seven, four-storey, three-bed houses.
It includes a new steep path from Spring Gardens along the southern edge of the site up to Springfield Street.
The development willl be accessed via the existing adopted highway at Spring Gardens, to the west of the A666.
Each home will be served by an unadopted, private road, with a turning head at its north end.
Homes will be arranged in linear form, in a townhouse style wth a partially-buried storey.