PROPOSALS for a multi-million pound development of more than 600 family homes on the edge of a town have been unveiled.

The new housing - on four sites in South-East Blackburn near the M65’s Junction Five - will include properties for sale, rent and shared ownership.

It will include affordable social housing provided by the Together Housing Group and family homes built and marketed by Countryside Homes.

The scheme - developed in partnership with Blackburn with Darwen Council - will eventually cover 48 acres.

The investment by the three partners in the development will run into tens of millions of pounds over five years, with work starting by Christmas.

It will be built on land off Fishmoor Drive opened up for development by the £6.8million scheme to widen Haslingden Road and build a new highway linking Blackamoor Road with Roman Road across fields near Fishmoor Reservoir

Borough regeneration boss Cllr Phil Riley said: “Together these sites will be the biggest planning application in the history of Blackburn with Darwen Council as a unitary authority since its creation in 1998.”

On Thursday the council’s Executive Board is recommended to approve the disposal of two sites to the joint partnership of Together Housing and Countryside Homes to build 192 homes.

A third already owned by the social housing provider, will see the construction of 200 houses.

The senior councillors are also set to reserve a fourth, and largest, site owned by the council for future development by the joint venture of more than 200 houses

Detailed schemes for the first three parcels of land are ready for the submission of a planning application.

The Together Housing site comprises 12.8 acres between Lytham Road and Fishmoor Drive to build 200 homes for sale, private rent and affordable rent.

The first of the sites owned by the council of 4.2 acres between Fishmoor Drive and Higher Croft Wood will contain 69 new homes for private rent.

The second borough-owned site of 9.6 acres between Roman Road and Fishmoor Reservoir will see the construction of 123 new homes for sale and affordable shared ownership.

The final council-owned parcel of 21.5 acres of land would see another 200-plus houses.

Cllr Riley said: “I am absolutely delighted. This is a very exciting development which will bring more than 600 new homes to the borough available with a variety of tenures from affordable and private rent through shared ownership to private sale.

“Our officers have worked very hard with Together and Countryside to bring this joint venture forward.

“It confirms the borough as a place where the private sector wants to invest.”

Together Housing will provide 57 homes for affordable rent and 18 for shared ownership/rent to buy on the initial three sites.

Cllr John Slater, leader of the council's Conservative group, said: “This is good news to the extent that it will bring hundreds of new homes.

“However they have to get the infrastructure right which they don’t seem to have dealt with. Work will start in the middle of a nearby road widening project.

“Once again it is appalling planning. This council always seems to put the cart before the horse.”

Darwen East’s Cllr Roy Davies said: “This is welcome news but the council must ensure the roads the transport network can cope.

“We would be talking 1,200 people with cars trying to get to work.

"I think they should look at providing free travel on buses to help cope.”