THE starting gun has been fired for the first phase of a 450-home estate on the site of a demolished Blackburn factory.

Councillors last week gave planning permission for the first 95 houses in stage one of the development of the former Sappi Paper Mill site off Preston Old Road in Feniscowles.

They approved conditions requiring the developer to build a spine road between Livesey Branch Road and Moulden Brow within three years or pay Blackburn with Darwen Council to do it for them. Building work will start in May.

The council’s planning committee heard applications had been submitted for the remaining five phases of the development comprising 150 homes; landscaping; 16,000 square feet of industrial units; 171 properties; and finally 30 more houses.

Thursday’s meeting approved strict conditions regarding flood risk management and drainage for the site, much of which was under water after 2015’s Boxing Day floods.

It also agreed changes to payments associated with the development after a requirement to build a community centre and children’s playground were dropped and other housing developers working in the area agreed to pay for road improvements.

Now the firm behind the scheme, Blackburn Waterside Regeneration Ltd, has increased the total sum from £423,000 to £825,000.

Of this £105,500 will go towards affordable housing and £350,000 to improvements and renovations at the nearby Feniscowles and Pleasington Sports and Social Club.

The final £360,000 will pay for the replacement of two 12-year-old all-weather pitches on Witton Country Park by new full-size artificial grass equivalents with new changing rooms and floodlights,

Before debating the approval, councillors were shown a video of a similar scheme at Navigation Point, Castleford, now on the Lancashire Telegraph website.

The approved application is for13 two-bedroomed and 39 three-bedroomed terraced and semi-detached houses; 35 four-bedroomed semi-detached and eight detached luxury homes with five bedrooms.

Cllr Phil Riley, borough regeneration boss, said: “This is a win, win situation. The scheme on the Sappi site is a really good proposal and the new pitches at Witton Park will be another great asset.”

Committee chairman Cllr Dave Smith said: “This is a really excellent scheme.”