Units designated for manufacturing, industrial and storage businesses
A major employment development on the site of a former abattoir has been given the green light, paving the way for dozens of new industrial and warehouse units on a long-vacant brownfield site in Great Harwood.
The scheme, submitted by Harrisons Engineering Lancashire Limited, will see five employment buildings erected on land in Balfour Street, along with improvements to existing warehouses and new access arrangements.
Hyndburn Council’s planning committee officially approved the application on October 9, clearing the way for Hyndburn’s newest business park and providing around 83,000sqft of industrial floorspace in 22 units.
This new employment unit will be aimed at manufacturing, industrial and storage operators, on the site previously occupied by ABP Blackburn abattoir, which will cease operations in 2022.
Many of the complexes were later demolished and the land remained vacant, with some temporary storage uses on cleared sites.
Planning documents describe the redevelopment as a significant regeneration project that will bring the prominent brownfield site into productive use.
Plans approved include new vehicular access from Balfour Street, changes to existing access arrangements from Heys Lane, extensive landscaping works, cycle facilities and more than 100 parking spaces.
Although now approved, the application faced various technical and environmental challenges before reaching the committee.
The land contains a culverted section of Harwood Brook and is located partly in Flood Zone 2, requiring extensive drainage and flood mitigation measures. The site is also affected by historic industrial activity, with planning documents highlighting potential contamination risks and coal mining heritage issues.
The applicant will be required to conduct a detailed investigation and necessary remediation before construction can begin. This site has also been linked to historical gas infrastructure, creating more engineering obstacles that must be overcome in the application process.
More than 30 planning conditions have been attached to the agreement, covering everything from biodiversity net gain, flood risk, and drainage to noise control, contamination, archaeology, road improvements and local employment opportunities.
While the scheme will be delivered in stages, during construction, developers must also provide habitat management plans, ecological enhancements including bat and bird boxes, and install solar panels on new buildings prior to occupancy.
The council also requires the developer to prepare a workforce strategy that explains how local residents will be recruited and trained during the construction and operational phases of the development.
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