Rishton: Canal Masterplan moves forward

A masterplan for the canal corridor through Rishton is being drawn up. Councillors in the town hope to attract developers by drawing up the development plan, as well as building ‘very attractive’ canal-side housing. The brief should be completed by the end of the year, and will also require any future planning applications to ‘compliment each other and be in the best interests of Rishton’s future’.

Coun Ken Moss secured funding for the project last year, and fellow Labour councillor for the town, Clare Cleary, has now taken up the baton to move forward with the scheme.

Coun Cleary, who was recently made responsible for housing in Hyndburn, said: “This is a great scheme and I am excited to take it to the next stage. We are sitting on bags of untapped potential along the canal and with so much undeveloped land at the moment it makes sense to state what we want from it rather than leaving it purely in the hands of property developers."

Leader of Hyndburn Council, Miles Parkinson, added: “Along the canal we have a number of sites in the Rishton area that offer the potential for some very attractive canal side housing. The council has recently agreed to fund a development brief that should help to stimulate the market and attract the interest of developers.”

The purpose of the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) is help guide future development, and therefore the detail will emerge from the SPD.  The primary development is expected to be housing but other potential uses could include leisure, small retail and environmental improvements to the canal side.

The SPD will cover a rectangular area of land extending in a north – south direction, either side of the canal, incorporating five specific sites along the Rishton canal side. It will establish the planning context and framework for development and developer interest should be generated on completion of the SPD.

The Council’s Cabinet on the 6th February 2013 approved a budget not exceeding £20,000 towards the preparation of the SPD.  The actual cost will be subject to tenders.  With regards to investment, this is far too premature albeit most of the investment is expected to be private.