PENDLE Council has revealed potential development sites within the borough to meet its need to find land for 2,000 more houses by 2016.

The council is now at the first stage of identifying priority areas which could be used for housing and 35 more hectares of employment sites to fulfil the demands of Lancashire County's planning blueprint.

In July, councillors must decide which sites will be put forward for full public consultation as an early start in a long process before any development can take place.

Leader of the council, Alan Davies said: "The council has been carefully considering sites for over two years. The county's blueprint is backed up by independent research by Cambridge University which has shown a crucial link between housing and employment.

"There's no point having good quality housing if there aren't enough local jobs. We have to strike a balance and all political parties across the council will need to look closely at this Local Plan to ensure we have a sustainable future for Pendle and that we fulfil our vision of Pendle as a good place to live and work."

Leader of Pendle's Labour group Coun Frank Clifford said: "Pendle is part of the East Lancashire housing renewal initiative and this gives us a real opportunity for resolving some of our problems with the low demand for terraced housing."

The sites which are being proposed for possible housing allocation are:

Further Clough Head, Nelson between Southfield Street and Barkerhouse Road.

Bawhead Road, Earby.

the former Lucas Sports Ground, Reedley.

Many of the following sites were protected for potential development in the last Local Plan which ended in 2001, including:

an extension of the existing housing estate off Knotts Lane, Colne

Red Lane, Colne

Barrowford Road, Colne

land off Barrowford Road, Barrowford

New sites to be safeguarded as a contingency are:

Gib Hill, Nelson, off Marsden Hall Road North and Oxford Road

Clitheroe Road, Brierfield.

These sites have been chosen because they are well connected to existing housing areas and will only be used if some of the brownfield sites already earmarked cannot be developed.

Potential sites for employment are Barrowford Road, Colne, and Long Ing, Barnoldswick, adjoining Silentnight.