PLANS to build 7,000 new family homes and 5,000 jobs by 2037 on five key sites and create a new household waste recycling centre have been revealed.

Blackburn with Darwen’s new draft Local Plan will concentrate new developments in ‘growth areas’ linked to a new strategy to improve roads, schools, health provision and waste disposal.

It includes major investment in both the borough’s town centres to help them recover from the effects of coronavirus.

The plan proposes a new household waste recycling centre at Chapels to replace ones in George Street West, Blackburn, and Spring Vale Road, Darwen.

The blueprint will go out to public consultation next year.

It hopes to create 5,000 new jobs through the development of 148 acres of land for employment and 7,000 new homes to meet predicted housing need.

Cllr Phil Riley, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s growth boss, said: “We know that the current pandemic has caused enormous challenges. It’s important we plan for the future with a clear vision of how we are going to improve our housing and employment for future generations.”

The document earmarks the area around Sunny Bower for a ‘North East Blackburn Strategic Housing Site’ to build a new 1,500-home neighbourhood near a controversial planned development of 165 new houses on land off Whalley Old Road.

The draft local plan declares Blackburn town centre a ‘major development site’ for business expansion and investment and new residential accommodation.

It also earmarks Darwen for an ‘investment plan’ delivering a wide-ranging improvements for the town and its centre including 200 new homes, hopefully using cash from the £25million Darwen Town Deal bid.

The blueprint until 2027 proposes a new ‘South East Blackburn Strategic Employment Site’ to attract investment on land off junction five of the M65 motorway creating 1,500 jobs.

It plans a ‘Blackburn Growth Axis’ for job-creating industrial and business development and some new homes linking strategic sites from the Samlesbury Enterprise Zone, through Blackburn town centre along the Haslingden Road corridor and up to the M65 junction five.

The final element of the ‘big six’ proposals is an ‘infrastructure delivery plan’ to improve the framework of roads, schools, and health facilities.

The blueprint plans ‘high-quality, larger and affordable’ properties to replace smaller traditional terraced homes housing multi-generational families.

Cllr Riley said: “The simple reason we need to focus on increasing the number of housing in the borough is that research shows that quality housing is linked to economic growth. If we don’t do this, demographic forecasts indicate that our working age population would decline, and the proportion of older population would increase.

“The draft plan does not propose to develop any of the green belt for housing but the junction five development might build on some protected land.”

His Conservative group counterpart Cllr Paul Marrow said: “I question the need for more land for housing. We have to look to the future but we need to sensible not greedy and protect our green fields.”

Darwen East Liberal Democrat Cllr Paul Brown said: “Anything that proposes investment in Darwen is good for the town and its people. It stops us feeling like the poor relation to Blackburn.”

Sunny Bower Community Group chairman Iain Sykes said: “We’re very disappointed and angry the council are intent on destroying most of the greenfield land around Sunny Bower. We are determined to fight this.”

Additional primary school and secondary school places will be identified in the early part of the plan period.

A six-week consultation period will start on January 8. After that, it is expected the new Local Plan will be submitted to government late next year.