A ROW is developing over plans for a massive retail centre which could create up to 200 jobs.

Car dealership giant Sanderson Bramall wants to demolish Smith & Nephew's empty Stonebridge Mill in North Valley Road, Colne, and build a retail and industrial park on the site, including a DIY store, car dealership and light industrial units.

But Coun Tony Greaves, deputy leader of Pendle Council and chairman of the council's Colne committee, says the ambitious £10 million scheme goes against council policy.

"They are wanting to drive a large hole through the local plan at exactly the time it's going through local public inquiry," he said, accusing the developers of trying to "jump the gun" ahead of the inquiry into Pendle's planning blueprint, which starts on May 14.

"The correct thing to do would be to argue their case at the local inquiry," said Coun Greaves.

There are also concerns over how the proposed centre would affect town centre shops and increased traffic.

Sanderson Bramall and the property company involved in the project, Gregory Properties, have hit back. Gill Culshaw, spokesman for Sanderson Bramall, said: "Although the area of North Valley Road is proposed for industrial use in the emerging local plan, the developers feel that Pendle Council should follow other policies in the plan and assess this application in a flexible manner.

"The site poses a number of unusual development problems, such as demolition, contamination, treatment of on-site peat, exposing and upgrading the watercourse in conjunction with the National Rivers Authority, raising the levels of the site, piling the foundations and undertaking extensive improvements including road widening to North Valley Road in order to ease traffic congestion.

"Also the developers would be fulfilling needs that can not presently be accommodated by the town centre and are including some light industrial units in the scheme to extend the type of job opportunities available.

"This planning application should be treated and approved as an exception to normal and considered broadly in accordance with national guidelines."

But Coun Greaves added: "If we lose this land for light industrial use, the council will have to find more."

An outline planning application has been submitted and will be discussed by the Colne committee in May or June.

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