Plans for new bungalows on land in Halifax Road, Brierfield

The plans would see new single-story houses built on an area of land off Halifax Road in Brierfield that has long been earmarked for development but for years has stood empty.

Aim Applications Holdings Ltd has submitted the application for the former depot site, which lies wedged between Halifax Road, Mansfield Crescent and Chapel Street.

It says the bungalows would help old people "down-size (or right-size)" and free up larger, under-occupied homes for families who need them.

A design and access statement submitted with the plans states: “The application site comprises a previously developed, irregularly shaped parcel of land extending to 0.25 hectares in area.

Drawings of how one block of bungalows would look (Image: Pendle Council)

“The site was previously used as a depot by Lancashire County Council but has been vacant for some time.”

It is around 400m from Brierfield town centre and located along a bus route, which the applicant claims makes it a “highly sustainable and accessible site”.

Plans for nine houses on the site were approved in 2010 but never built, and this new plan aims to create two blocks of bungalows, all with off-street parking, plus amenity space, while maintaining the privacy of nearby existing houses which surround the site.

Every property would have an open-plan kitchen and living space, bathroom, and one main bedroom, with the possibility of a small second bedroom or study, with 15 parking spaces created for residents and visitors.

The houses would be put up for rent, aimed at people aged 55 and over, with the applicant keeping ownership of the properties and taking responsibility for maintaining the site.

The plans add: “[There is a] critical need for housing for older people.

“Our increasingly ageing population has direct and tangible effects on the housing market and a lack of suitable accommodation should be considered in plan-making and decision-taking.

“This type of accommodation allows for older people to continue living in their own homes and maintain independent and active lifestyles, whilst benefitting from single-level living and having the ability to ‘down-size’ (or ‘right-size’).

“This also helps to generate movement in the wider housing market and can assist in addressing the under-occupation of larger properties."

Members of the public who wish to comment on the plans have until August 9, and can do so in writing to Pendle Council.