Hyndburn Council Approves £460m Housing Scheme

Strategic Insights -

Hyndburn Council's cabinet has given the green light to the £460m Huncoat Garden Village project, a massive housing scheme that aims to bring 1,816 new homes to the borough. The project involves the construction of a new £6.8m highway, a residential relief road, and the development of the former power station and colliery sites at Huncoat. The council has secured approximately £30m in grant funding from Homes England to deliver essential infrastructure.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Huncoat Garden Village project involves the construction of 1,816 new homes, including 363 affordable and social properties.
  • The project will develop the former power station and colliery sites at Huncoat, creating a new village centre and expanding the primary school.
  • The council has secured £30m in grant funding from Homes England to deliver essential infrastructure.
  • A £2.19m agreement with National Highways will support improvement works at junction 8 of the M65.
  • The council has finalised the Huncoat Design Code, which sets high standards for design and development.
  • There has been encouraging interest from the housebuilding sector, including a local firm.
  • The council is taking steps to acquire land for the relief road, prioritising agreement with landowners wherever possible.
  • The Huncoat Garden Village masterplan envisages the creation over 15 years of a new village centre, additional railway station parking, 60 acres of accessible open space, new woodland, and new sports facilities.
  • A preferred contractor has been selected to construct the proposed residential relief road.
  • The former power station site owner and their house builder partner have submitted an updated outline planning application for the site.

Statistics:

  • £460m: The total value of the Huncoat Garden Village project.
  • 1,816: The number of new homes planned for the council's Huncoat Garden Village project.
  • 363: The number of new affordable and social properties included in the project.
  • £30m: The amount of grant funding secured from Homes England to deliver essential infrastructure.
  • £6.8m: The cost of the new highway.
  • £2.19m: The amount of the agreement with National Highways for improvement works at junction 8 of the M65.
  • 15 years: The timeframe for the completion of the Huncoat Garden Village masterplan.

Sources:

  • Hyndburn Council's cabinet meeting on June 18, 2023
  • The Hyndburn Times: "They don't listen to the feedback" - resident's thoughts on Huncoat development
  • Homes England: Grant funding agreement with Hyndburn Council
  • National Highways: Agreement for improvement works at junction 8 of the M65