BURNLEY Council has unveiled plans to make the way it deals with the public more open and accessible.

Local residents are to have their say on council land sales that will affect them and their local area.

Each year the council sells off parcels of land it no longer needs to developers and other interested parties.

Money raised is used to help keep essential services running and help pay for improvement projects.

But in the past local people have never had the opportunity to say how they feel about the sell-offs.

Now the council's economic and property committee, which is responsible for the land sales, has decided that will change.

In future residents will be fully consulted before land is sold off and they will have the chance to state their case to the committee.

If their objections win the backing of councillors, the sale will be called off and the views of the local community will be respected, the council has pledged. The procedure will be identitical to the way the council already handles planning applications and affected residents will be given pre-paid postcards to return their comments.

Committee chairman Councillor Marcus Johnstone said: "This new initiative will operate in exactly the same way as a planning application with residents now having an opportunity to object and make any representations they may have to the economic and property committee.

"Members of the committee believe this is an important reform which will make its work more open, accountable and democratic.

"It must also be stressed that the new procedure will not replace any requirement for planning permission to be obtained.

"Residents will therefore get a further chance to comment when a planning application is put in. In effect this is a second bite of the cherry."

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