Councillors recommended to approve £6.8m Huncoat relief road
They'll debate it on Wednesday 11th March
Councillors have been recommended to approve the £6.8million relief road key to one of East Lancashire’s biggest ever housing developments.
Hyndburn Council’s planning committee will debate the controversial new highway when it meets tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday).
A planning officer’s report urges them to approve the 1.1 kilometre road which will serve the planned £460m Huncoat Garden Village which is projected to bring up to 1,600 new homes to Hyndburn borough.
This is despite concerns from the Highways Authority Lancashire County Council and 15 letters of objection from the public about the scheme brought forward by Hyndburn Council.
The proposed new ‘Huncoat Lane’ extends from Altham Lane in the north to a roundabout on Burnley Road (A679) to the south and is located west of the Accrington Bypass (A56) near The Griffin Pub.
The roundabout would have four arms, two for Burnley Road and two slip roads for Accrington Bypass. The middle of the site crosses Burnley Lane.
The proposal would comprise a 1.1 kilometre long, two-way carriageway, which would have a minimum width of 6.5m with a cycleway and footway on the left side of the carriageway and a footway to the right side. There would be bus stops along the route.
The proposed road would have a signalised junction with Altham Lane and a new arm on the Burnley Road roundabout.
Lancashire County Council has raised concerns about the design including an inadequate surface water sustainable drainage strategy, uncertainty about future traffic flows, the lack of capacity in future years, and the 40mph speed limit on part of the road instead of 30mph.
The public objections include that Huncoat is a village and does not need more traffic or housing; insufficient infrastructure to support residential development; the impact on highway safety and transport as Huncoat is already gridlocked most of the time and the surrounding roads already struggle; its impact on flood risk; adverse impact on the living conditions of nearby occupants; damage to air quality; and the impact on the character, landscape and appearance of the area.
The planning officer’s report concludes: “The proposal would contribute to the overall aim of the Hyndburn Core Strategy as the first phase of a link road between Altham Lane and Burnley Road.
“The proposal would have a harmful effect on the character and appearance of the area.
“However, such adverse effects are to be expected with a scheme of this nature and scale.
“Planning officers consider that the proposal accords with the development plan taken as a whole and would also result in further benefits including a substantial biodiversity net gain.
“On this basis, it is recommended that planning permission be approved.”