Plans submitted for affordable homes development in Blackburn

PLANS have been submitted for 149 new smaller and affordable homes as the latest phases of a multi-million pound housing development in Feniscowles, Blackburn.

The scheme is the next stage of Kingswood Homes Green Hills development of more than 400 properties.

The new blueprint comprises112 Affordable Homes (53 rental and 59 shared ownership) and 37 open market homes with associated infrastructure, landscaping, and open space.

They will be built on land off Horden Rake.

The new plans submitted to Blackburn with Darwen Council revise a previous approved scheme in the light of changing market conditions to include more smaller and affordable homes.

The scheme is an extension of the Green Hills development the initial phases of which were originally conceived by Blackburn-raised design guru Wayne Hemingway who is no longer involved in the project.

The flagship estate is part of the council’s Gib Lane Masterplan,

Supporting documents submitted with Kingswood Homes application for Phases 8 and 9 of Green Hills say: “This application seeks to increase the number of dwellings in this area by 72 dwellings and re plan the remaining 77 dwellings which already have consent.

“The mix of dwellings proposed is 23 two bedroom dwellings, six of which are bungalows; 69 three bedroom dwellings; and 57 four bedroom dwellings.

“The proposed amendments to the scheme are made for a number of reasons, largely stemming from the fundamentally altered economic conditions experienced over the past 12 to 18 months and the difficulties this has caused for many people to get on the housing ladder or access mortgages to enable them to move home.

“We have observed the changing patterns in the housing industry and have recognised the need to expand our range to be able to offer high quality smaller homes for people with varying levels of affordability, broadening the choice available to them by offering a range of affordable homes as well, including shared ownership and rented homes offered at a discount.

“We are proposing to work in partnership with locally based Together Housing Group who are able to evidence the local demand for the tenure split proposed which is 59 shared ownership, 53 offered for rent to those people in employment, and the remaining 37 will retained to be sold by Kingswood on

the open market.

“Kingswood have recognised the demand for smaller high-quality homes in Blackburn alongside the difficulties that the wider population have experienced in getting on the housing ladder in recent years.

” Our response to this, and the reason for this application, is to broaden our offer on Phases 8 and 9 from purely larger executive housing to smaller high-quality homes, and offer a mix of tenures

to allow people with varying levels of affordability to have the ability to live in a high-quality home set in a pleasant environment with open spaces and the wider countryside on their doorstep.

“A bespoke suite of new Kingswood house types has been created specifically for this part of the site and have been designed to retain and carry through the key design elements and high-quality finish of the overall Green Hills development.

“The intention is that the scheme will be tenure blind to maintain the success of Green Hills as a high-quality residential scheme with no visual differential between the tenures.

“The vision is to deliver a sustainable village for all ages and create “the place to be” in Blackburn.”