LUXURY homes sharing a swimming pool, sauna and jacuzzi are planned in East Lancashire's first estate designed for people who want to work from home.

Developers are proposing to create a community of houses with specially-built offices attached which they claim will boost East Lancashire's economy.

The Brockhall Village Company, which owns the Brockhall village estate in the Ribble Valley, has submitted a planning application for 38 new homes on their exclusive site.

It includes three five-bedroomed, six four-bedroomed and four three-bedroomed detached houses, all of which are being described as 'live/work' units by the developer because they have a separate office/workshop built next to them.

The rest of the homes will take the shape of apartments built within a three-storey wood and clay-built block.

A swimming pool, complete with sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and sun terrace will also be built for use of the residents in the walled village, along with a village hall.

The project would be a step towards completing Brockhall Village, built on the site of the former Brockhall hospital and funded by Gerald Hitman, who also lives there.

While the scheme today won luke-warm praise from the leader of Ribble Valley Council, one local councillor accused Brockhall Village Company of reneging on a previous promise to provide dedicated employment buildings on the site.

In its planning application, Brockhall Village Company's agents DTZ Pieda Consulting says it has commissioned experts to prove there is a demand for such 'work/live' units.

Graham Connell, the planner on the scheme, said office accommodation had been built in the past but they had not been able to find tenants.

His report includes dozens of people from across East Lancashire saying they run small firms from home and would like to move into the new 'work/live' units.

But local councillor Graham Sowter said: "These plans just appear to get the company out of their obligation to provide employment opportunities on the site. These 'work/live' units I think are just an excuse to provide bigger houses on site. What happens when someone's business gets too big for the unit and they move to a new site but want to stay in the house?

"How do we police that and how do we ensure that they are used for their proper purpose?"

Mr Connell said: "We already have outline planning permission for a set number of houses and this latest application will not take us above that number. There is high demand for these units. They are ground-breaking and would boost the economy in East Lancashire."

Council leader John Hill said: "I cautiously welcome this sort of development, but it has to be subject to our current planning rules, which includes an emphasis on affordable housing."