A DEVELOPMENT company today claimed controversial plans for a large housing estate in a suburb of Burnley would be the 'lesser of two evils'.

Chorley-based Banks' Group has applied for outline permission to develop an estate off Manchester Road in Lowerhouse.

A large part of the land is vacant, a further section is occupied by Nightfreight, who would be relocated.

Lowerhouse Cricket Club would be granted a long lease and get a new fitness suite and clubhouse.

This week the planned 230-house estate has been scaled down to 200 homes after consultation with highways engineers.

And today the company's development planner David Fitzsimon described the proposal as the 'lesser of two evils'.

He said: "If the land is not developed for housing, another company has put a planning application in to develop the land for industrial use, which it is already designated for."

Banks' property development manager Stewart Brown said: "It became clear from our discussions that access to Nightfreight was a problem and so we are proposing to relocate the firm and develop the vacant land for housing. We would also establish a long lease with the cricket club for a minimum of 25 years.

"It would enable them to tap into Sports Council funding to develop the site."

He said the company had met Lowerhouse Residents' Association several times and held a public exhibition of the plans last year.

Mr Brown added: "The other alternative is the land becomes industrial units just as in the development plan. What do people really want?"

An open meeting will be held tomorrow at Lowerhouse Working Men's Club at 7.30pm organised by the Lowerhouse Residents' Association to discuss the plans.

The association has already expressed its concern that part of the cricket club car park is marked out for housing in the company's plans.

Mr Brown said although a provisional plan had been drawn up for the site, it was only to give an idea of a possible layout as part of the outline application.