Residents wants voices heard over Burnley Bridge concerns

Residents opposed to the increasing growth of the Burnley Bridge business park have called on Burnley Council to support their views rather than those of big business.
Burnley Bridge business parkBurnley Bridge business park
Burnley Bridge business park

The Burnley Bridge Action Group was set up last month to allow residents of streets neighbouring the site in Hapton and Padiham the chance to air their concerns.

Founder member Clare Hales said: “Residents have various concerns about how the Burnley Bridge site is progressing. My mother lives on Cambridge Drive which every day has had heavy goods vehicles driving up and down. The planned expansion into greenbelt land at Lancaster Drive is another worry.

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“Residents in Kings Drive are also concerned about industrial units encroaching on their houses, which will also adversely affect the Padiham Greenway.”

The action group is calling on Burnley Council to enforce recommendations made in its Local Plan that buildings at Titanium Park, situated in the north east corner of Burnley Bridge, are built no higher than 7m.

“We are worried that councillors will ignore our concerns in the pursuit of profit. We want our voices heard.”

However, planners at Burnley Council would not be drawn on whether their own 7m. recommendation would be adhered to.

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A Burnley Council spokesman said: “The main purpose of a Local Plan is to set a framework for the consideration of future planning applications and the determination of all relevant applications must be made in accordance with an adopted plan unless ‘material considerations’ indicate otherwise.

“This means that schemes can vary from certain aspects of the Local Plan but only if there are compelling reasons to do so, which would need to be clearly set out.”

Possible plans to build industrial units on greenbelt land at Lancaster Drive, as well as nearby fields at Shuttleworth Mead, are currently being modified by the independent inspector of the council's Local Plan after he raised concerns.

Clare revealed that she has spoken to the leader of Burnley Council, Coun. Mark Townsend, several times about residents' worries.

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Coun. Townsend said: "The council is determined to develop a borough that meets the aspirations of our residents and the needs of business. This can only be achieved through an ambitious Local Plan that puts economic growth at its heart whilst mitigating the impact on our green space and heritage.

"I fear that the independent inspector's modifications to the Local Plan could hold us back from building on our recent successes towards a more prosperous borough.

"Development is always difficult and I understand the concerns of residents around Burnley Bridge who are having to deal with the uncertainty until the independent inspector issues his final report."