Plans to build 10 new bungalows at a former depot site to ‘help old people downsize’ have been approved.

The application will see the empty scrubland patch off Halifax Road, Brierfield, transformed after Pendle Council gave it the go-ahead.

Aim Applications Holdings, which submitted the plans, said the new bungalows will bring the site back into use, having stood empty for years after being earmarked for development.

It also said the bungalows will enable elderly people “downsize (or right-size)” to free up larger family homes that are under-occupied for families that need them to ease demand for housing.

Moving into smaller, modern properties will also help new residents of the bungalows save money on their heating, thanks to units being more compact and better insulated, particularly relevant due to the removal of universal winter fuel cash handouts to pensioners.

In the plans, it said: “The site was previously used as a depot by Lancashire County Council but has been vacant for some time.

“[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."

The bungalows will go up for rent for people aged 55 and over, and each property would have an open-plan living area, bathroom, main bedroom and either a second smaller bedroom or study, with 15 parking spaces created for residents and visitors.

The site is also just 400m from Brierfield town centre and on a bus route, making it “highly sustainable and accessible”.

Pendle Council approved the plans with 23 conditions, including surface drainage, the requirement for electric vehicle charging and bicycle storage, and around the construction process.