CONTROVERSIAL plans to allow housing at the former Gannow Baths site in Burnley are set to go ahead desopite concerns from senior councillors.

Watchdogs from Burnley Council’s better services scrutiny committee had asked the authority’s executive to think again about an agreement to allow the New Life Church told build housing behind the old pool.

Opposition councillors, led by Labour’s Howard Baker, were unhappy about a £238,000 deal struck between the authority and the church, which would allow housing on the land.

Critics like Coun Baker claimed it ‘sold the council short’, given the potential profits to be made from the scheme.

Previously the site had been sold on the proviso that it could only be used for community purposes, such as the development of a new church.

But church leaders have managed to negotiate permission for around 34 homes to be erected there, in return for the cash, as part of an “overage agreement”.

The scrutiny committee ‘called in’ the decision, forcing the executive to reconsider the deal - an overage agreement - at their August meeting.

But Liberal Democrat executive councillors have now voted to overlook the watchdog’s concerns after a private meeting.

A Burnley council spokesman said: “They decided that the recommendation of the better services scrutiny committee should be noted.

“And the terms of the overage agreement should be delegated to the head of the property consultancy, in consultation with the executive member for resources and the council’s director of resources.”

The terms of the overage agreement would be thrashed out between the trio but there are no plans to report their full findings back to the scrutiny committee or executive.

Coun Baker said: “Until we know what is on the table then we cannot really get to the bottom of what is going on.

“Hopefully we will be able to get it back on the agenda and find out what has happened but I’m not sure if we can call in the decision again.”