1,000 new homes will bring lots of benefits

Many claims and counter-claims have been made within and outside the meeting, and some clarification of the issues might be helpful.

The council’s planning and development committee is a regulatory committee that represents the whole of Ribble Valley and thus has a balance of members from across the borough, who are not there to represent their own wards, but to make decisions for the whole of the borough.

The Standen application for up to 1,040 houses will be delivered over 15 years to cater for the borough’s expected and forecasted housing needs. We cannot stand still if we are to avoid a continued shortage of adequate housing and the economic decline of the town. How else are the businesses of Clitheroe to be supported and continually increasing house prices to be avoided?

The Standen scheme will bring many important benefits:

A new modern roundabout addressing the dangerous junction of Pendle Road and the A59, and incorporating the Sabden road turnoff.

312 affordable houses of which 156 will be for elderly residents.

A new business park to provide a long-term economic boost for Ribble Valley and Clitheroe in particular.

Around 410 new direct jobs and 90 indirect jobs.

Up to 180 construction jobs arising from the development and infrastructure provision.

A new school with associated green space.

£2.2m. of funding for new bus services.

An £800,000 contribution to health and leisure facilities centred on Ribblesdale School.

This is an outline application with details to be agreed with Ribble Valley Borough Council and Lancashire County Council, including the provision of infrastructure, such as utilities and the design and final layout of the houses.

There is also considerable provision of green space, protection of habitat, footpaths and cycle and pedestrian routes. It is at this stage that the concerns of residents will be rigorously addressed to ensure that all the potential benefits set out in the planning balance analysis are achieved with the absolute minimum of harm.

Coun. Terry Hill,

Planning and Development Committee chairman, RVBC