DEVELOPER cash will be used to double the size of Lammack Primary School after plans for 155 new homes were approved.

Blackburn with Darwen Council’s planning and highways committee approved Persimmon Homes’ application for a new estate off Ramsgreave Drive.

As part of the agreement, Persimmon will fork out £500,000 to fund extra primary school places, which officers said would be used to build an extension at the nearby school.

The proposed estate, including 67 four and five-bedroomed houses, stretches across 22 acres of green space in Roe Lee to the south of Blackburn Rugby Club.

Earlier this month a new car park was opened up for use by parents dropping their children off at the school.

The move came after problems were caused by parents clogging up the roads around the school at peak times.

Founder of the Lammack Association, Sabir Esa, said doubling the number of pupils at the school would stretch the area’s infrastructure even further.

He added: “The increase in housing will already have an impact on Lammack and extra pupils at the school will add more on top of that.

“We don’t know if there is going to be an extra car park to help cope.

“As an association, we need to know exactly how that money is going to be spent.

“There has been absolutely no transparency from the council or the developers.”

The plan is part of Blackburn with Darwen Council’s controversial blueprint to build 4,000 executive-style homes across 1,200 acres unveiled in 2013.

The new scheme is close to Wainhomes North West’s £40million scheme to build 272 upmarket homes on greenfield land off Yew Tree Drive and Whinney Lane which was approved last year despite hundreds of objections and several protest petitions.

Public consultation has included 300 neighbouring premises being individually consulted by letter. Site notices and a press notice have also been displayed.

In response, 14 letters of objection and four letters offering comment have been received, citing fears including loss of privacy and the possibility of increased traffic congestion.

More than £1 million in total developer cash will also be used to create new access roads and toucan crossings, as well as works to the dual carriageway central reservation and reduction of the speed limit from 40mph to 30mph.

Cllr Phil Riley said: “Persimmon has been involved in another site in this part of town on Parsonage Road and I think it is fair to say that has gone very well - a lot faster than people imagined.

“They have done everything they said they were going to do.

“It’s no great surprise they want to have another site in this part of Blackburn.”

Cllr Hussain Akhtar added: “I welcome this scheme. Blackburn is a fast growing town and I think this development will be good for the borough.”