A £4 million pound housing development will be built at a former mill site.

Gleeson Homes has been given the go-ahead by Hyndburn council to build 48 ‘low-cost’ properties on the old Church Bank Works, off Kirk Road in Church.

It will include 15 two-bed, 28 three-bed and five four-bed houses, which will be built out of Accrington-produced red brick.

Unanimous approval was given by councillors at a planning committee meeting this week and the work is now set to begin within the next three months.

Church councillor Loraine Cox told the meeting: “At the moment all we can see is a blighted site. We welcome this development and it’s good to see this come in, especially in the township of Church.

“It’s been quite a while since we’ve had any development in that area.”

Oswaldtwistle councillor Stewart Eaves.

Coun Stewart Eaves said: “I think it’s a win-win situation and will bring regeneration which is vastly needed.”

Bosses at Gleeson Homes said the properties will be ‘extremely affordable’ to working couples and will generate £334,000 in new homes bonuses and provide the council with an extra £56,000 a year in council tax.

Paul Oldridge, north west regional director of Gleeson Homes, said the scheme will cost £4 million with an estimated one-third of the money going to labour wages, contractors and suppliers.

Priority employment will also be given to people living within two miles of the site.

Mr Oldridge told the planning meeting that the homes will be affordable to at least 90 per cent of local working couples and that covenant measures will be put in place to stop ‘profiteering landlords’ from renting them out.

Artist impressions of a 48-home development at Church Bank Works

Gleeson Homes is also looking to ‘embed’ themselves in the local community by sponsoring a football team in the Accrington area, creating apprenticeship schemes and setting up a Neighbourhood Watch-style system.

Mr Oldridge said: “We are going to get going really quickly.”

As part of the scheme Gleeson Homes will provide £78,000 for off-site open space works, bins and canal towpath improvements.

The site is located with the Church conservation area and conditions have been put in place to retain and lower a wall near St James Church and two cast iron gate posts at the Kirk Road entrance.