DELAYED proposals to build more than 160 new homes in Darwen could come to fruition next week.

Blackburn with Darwen Council’s planning and highways committee will consider an application by Persimmon Homes to build 168 houses on land at Spring Meadows in the town when it meets at Thursday.

A decision on the application had originally been pencilled in for the July committee meeting but was deferred after The Coal Authority asked for more information about the scheme.

Planning manager Gavin Prescott said: “The Coal Authority requested a plan which shows the established locations of the mine entries and their zones of influence, if known, or recorded positions and potential departure if not located, based on the depth to rockhead encountered in the boreholes drilled."

Now the requested information has been supplied and borough planners have recommended the committee approve the application, subject to the agreement of section 106 contributions from Persimmon.

It is proposed the firm pays £150,000 each towards affordable housing and road improvements as well as £1.5m in education cash towards extra primary school places.

The proposed development lies near the Kier Living 126-home development off Pole Lane.

In a report to the committee, principal planner Martin Kenny said: "In considering the proposal a wide range of material considerations have been taken in to account during the assessment of the planning application.

"The proposal will deliver a high quality housing scheme which will widen the choice of family housing in the borough.

"It supports the borough’s planning strategy for housing growth as set out in the core strategy and local plan part 2.

"The proposal is also satisfactory from a technical point of view, with all issues relative to the assessment having been addressed through the application, or capable of being controlled or mitigated through planning conditions."

Rachael Graham, Persimmon’s land and planning manager for Lancashire, said the development would consist of 14 two-bedroom homes, 97 three-bedroom homes and 57 homes of four or more bedrooms.

Developers say the new estate would bring in an estimated £2million in council tax revenue, while the residents of new homes are predicted to bring a total gross spending power in leisure and sport of £135,441 into the local economy.

Ward councillors Kevin Connor, Neil Slater and Lilian Salton all expressed concerns about the increased number of houses from 134 at the outline stage to 168.

Further fears were also raised about the speed of traffic and number of vehicles using Pole Lane, with the suggestion of installing average speed cameras to mitigate the problem.