Baxenden care home plan back to drawing board

A bid to transform the boarded-up former Hill Top care home in Manchester Road, Baxenden, would have seen the dilapidated building demolished.

It would then have then made way for a four storey block of retirement village flats with a fifth level in the roof space next to the Haworth Art Gallery.

Developer I Care have withdrawn the plan, which also included landscaping and a car park, ‘temporarily’, with a view to addressing resident’s concerns with the proposal.

Manchester Road and Newton Drive residents said the four-storey proposal would overlook their homes as well as raising concerns about insufficient parking.

Their campaign was backed by English Heritage which also criticised the scale and design of the proposed building as damaging to the character of the Conservation area.

Alongside developer I Care’s decision to re-visit the plans, which were first revealed in January, Hyndburn Borough Council will also develop a specific plan for the site’s future.

The council have pledged to work alongside local residents to develop a design brief for the area that will act as a guide for any future development of the site.

Though home owners welcomed development at the site, which has been plagued by anti-social behaviour, they were against the four storey development ith a fifth level in the roof space, is too imposing.

Ward councillor John Griffiths said: “It is important for the council to come up with a specific plan as it is a large site in a very important Conservation area.

“They were in favour of the retirement flats, or another care home it was the size of the building and the parking that was the main issue.

“In the face of so much opposition, I Care said they wanted to re-visit the plans and we are just waiting to hear back from them.”

Hyndburn Borough Council have now rubber stamped proposals to hire planning consultants to work with ward councillors and residents on a planning brief for the site.