Former Burnley Council town centre offices to be turned into flats

The grant has come from the £60million second phase of the government £180m Brownfield Land Release Fund aimed at unlocking sites as part of the long-term plan for housing. The money will be used to redevelop the former council-owned offices at 18 to 24 Nicholas Street, Burnley.

It forms part of a terrace of historic buildings on the eastern side of the street, and contributes to a group of late Victorian and Edwardian commercial and public buildings within the Burnley Town Centre Conservation Area.

The property, which had previously been struck by dry rot, was originally two separate buildings dating from 1866-69, including the Poor Law Union (18 to 20) and Oddfellows Club (22 to24). It is noted for its Florentine revival style.

The redevlopment work will be done through the authority’s housing partnering agreement with Barnfield lnvestment Properties.

Burnley Council’s executive approved the redevelopment as the Nicholas Street offices were identified as a key project in the Burnley Town Centre and Canalside masterplan. The building is surplus to requirements, and no alternative viable uses have been found leaving the authority with on-going maintenance and management costs.

The council will now use the grant of £416,312 to bring forward the site for residential development.

Coun. Mark Townsend, Burnley Council’s growth boss, said: “We’re pleased to have been awarded funding to help us transform a Grade II-listed town centre property, which has been empty for several years, into affordable, quality homes.”

The latest round of Brownfield Land Release Fund grants will support 100 regeneration projects across England, support thousands of new jobs and enable more than 6,000 new homes will be built on brownfield sites.

Derelict car parks, industrial sites and town centre buildings that have fallen into disrepair will all benefit.

The minister for housing and planning Rachel Maclean said: “We know we need to build more homes, but this cannot come at the expense of concreting over our precious countryside.

“That is why we are doing all we can to make sure we’re making use of wasteland and unused brownfield land, so we can turn these eyesores into beautiful and thriving communities.”