A RESIDENTIAL development on the boundary of Burnley and Brierfield may be granted planning permission on Tuesday by Pendle Council.

The application is for a 0.4 hectare area of land off Milton Street, Brierfield, with access from Gorple Street.

Permission for previous residential developments with access from Milton Street were refused in 1995 and November 1999.

An appeal against the November decision was dismissed and permission for a similar scheme with less houses was refused in February 2000 because of the inadequacy of Milton Street and its junction with Briercliffe Road to safely take additional traffic.

The latest application has met with opposition from both local residents and businesses as well as Briercliffe Town Council.

Eight letters of objection included concerns about the site being greenfield, that there was no need for further development in Briercliffe, it would lead to a loss of space and wildlife habitat and a loss of outlook, there would be increased traffic in Gorple Street, Saxfield Street and Briercliffe Road and there could be possible future concerns from residents about noise from both the Briercliffe WMC and a nearby car repair workshop. The town council objected on the grounds that development would be premature pending the completion of Pendle Council's Urban Capacity Study and that the proposals should be determined in the context of Burnley Council's housing policies.

Despite the opposition, a report to next week's Brierfield and Reedley Committee recommends that the development should be approved with 13 conditions, including siting, design and layout and that permission shall only be given for the south-west of the site and a scheme of sound proofing should be submitted and approved.