Village housing plan could be 'dangerous'

Residents and councillors in Worsthorne have hit out at the plans to build 24 new homes in Brownside Road and Lennox Street, opposite Worsthorne Primary School.

A similar application was rejected over a year ago, but the area has been included in the most recent version of Burnley’s Local Plan, which sets out where houses will be built in the borough over the coming years.

Worsthorne with Cliviger Coun. Andrew Newhouse said: “To put that many houses in that location near the school would be dangerous.

“It can take 30 minutes before and after school to get through traffic on that stretch of road, so it would be even worse with all those extra houses and cars. It’s crazy.”

Coun. Newhouse also said he was worried that the extra homes would lessen Worsthorne’s village status and added his concerns that more house building could see the area become an extension of Burnley.

He added: “We do not want to become a suburb of Burnley. Previous applications to build on this site have been rejected. Let’s hope this one will be so we can preserve our village status.”

Next to the site are recently constructed houses on Lennox Street and others under construction.

OUtline planning permission has been sought and the decision will be delegated.

Worsthorne Residents Group will meet on Monday at the Crooked Billet pub at 7-30pm.