PLANS to build homes on land which has remained derelict for more than three years are being blocked because planning officers believe the site should be reserved for industry.

The land on the west side of Burnley Road East, at Whitewell Bottom, Rossendale, has been derelict since a former Lambert Howarth shoe factory closed in 1993 and was demolished two years later.

The land has been "aggressively" marketed as an industrial site, according to a report to Rossendale Council's planning sub-committee. But in three years only one developer has shown an interest in the site and that firm is now bankrupt.

Agents acting for the owners are urging Rossendale Council to agree to the land being turned over to housing, but planning officers are advising against the change.

They say it would go against government policy which recommends a mix of housing and light industrial development in areas like Whitewell Bottom. Councillors will be told tomorrow that all local builders who specialise in industrial development have been approached, but none has shown any interest in the land.

But planners maintain that the site lies within an employment area where it is important to retain a mix of business and residential uses and provide jobs within easy reach of homes. They point out that there is a shortage of employment land in the Valley.

But the same committee is being advised to approve housing development on the opposite side of the road.

Councillors are being advised, however, to put a block on the start of building work until the developer has made an archaeological record of the site, which was once a colliery.

A report to the committee says: "This site is of archaeological importance because it contains well-preserved remains of the former coal staithe to the Fox Hill Colliery, with associated buildings and tunnel, dating back to the mid-19th century, and the development will require the complete demolition of all these structures."

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