New bid for homes on arson-hit Burnley site

9:50am Wednesday 23rd July 2008

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A BED firm is making a fresh bid to revamp an arson-damaged former mill in Burnley – and keep expansion plans on track.

Sweet Dreams wants to bulldoze its former Primrose Mill site and replace it with 59 new houses in order to generate cash to fund a move to a larger base.

But its plans for the site in Harrison Street, Briercliffe, were rejected by borough councillors in January, following concerns over the loss of employment land and the effect on a conservation area.

Now planning consultants acting on behalf of Sweet Dreams have come up with revised proposals for the company’s former distrib-ution and storage depot.

After public meetings with residents and Briercliffe Parish Council the number of larger properties, included in the firm’s outline applic-ation, has been increased, and a garages complex has been removed.

And in response to objections about extra traffic being generated, the firm has tried to demonstrate that the amount of cars connected with the proposed housing estate will be less than those associated with a commercial development.

An arson attack on the Primrose Mill site in July 2005 took more than 50 East Lancashire firefighters to bring under control.

Since then Sweet Dreams, which employs 270 people, has continued to trade from sites in Martin Street and New Hall Street. But the company is hunting for a larger site locally, at which all operations could be based. Planning consultant Andrew Walker says in a letter to Burnley Council that these investigations have now reached a critical stage.

He said: "In conjunction with your council’s economic development unit, these proposals are now making significant progress, which means that the future of this application site and the release of asset values has become urgent."

Mr Walker argues that the owners of similar commercial premises, such as the nearby Queens Mill, Kings Mill and Oxford Mill have found it difficult to secure tenants.

Fifty-nine new homes could be created off Harrison Street if the plans were given the go-ahead, including 36 four and five-bedroom properties and 13 three-bedroom houses.

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