Apartments plan for Burnley (From Burnley and Pendle Citizen)

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Apartments plan for Burnley

5:45pm Tuesday 13th May 2008

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By Peter Magill »

PLANS for a new apartments complex in Burnley could bring a touch of big-city architecture to the town, the developer has said.

Proposals have been submitted to Burnley Council to demolish Calder Vale House, Calder Street, and replace it with an eco-friendly eight-storey building, echoing Manchester's Urbis Museum.

The glass-fronted development would be fitted with solar panels and photo-voltaic cells to convert available sunlight into electrical energy.

Currently the building, on the banks of the River Calder, is home to the Active Way Beds and Furniture Centre.

Under the proposals 38 two-bedroom apartments and 12 one-bedrooom apartments would be created.

The ground floor would include a restaurant, with an entrance off Orchard Bridge, and commercial office space, with housing on alll other floors.

Agent Stephen Hetherington says in a planning statement that the plans "present an opportunity to regenerate a brownfield site in order to improve the image of the borough" and were based on the Urbis museum's model.

The eco-apartments are the latest residential regeneration scheme to be unveiled for Burnley town centre.

Proposals have been put forward to redevelop the Keirby Park Hotel, with an 11-storey apartment block pencilled in next to the landmark venue.

And masterplans for the Weaver's Triangle heritage site should bring dozens more residential properties to the centre of town.

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Bill, Burnley says...
9:32am Wed 14 May 08

What a fantastic idea, though perhaps a brave one in the current housing market. I'm not sure, though, that the surrounding buildings will make it a terribly attractive buy, even if the location beside the Calder has lots of potential. Time will tell, but I hope the town will get behind this one.

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Kevin, Colne says...
10:33am Wed 14 May 08

I agree with Bill to a point and would not dismiss the idea out of hand.

There are two things that need to be remembered. What works well in one place does not necessarily work in another. In other words the factors that make it work in one town may be unique to that place, so when I hear folks say we are using a model that worked well in such-and-such a city or town my view is that a red warning light should be flashing somewhere.

The second point is that we are living in the age of 'apartmentmania' (just like canalmania and railwaymania in centuries past). The evidence seems to me to be conclusive that over supply (provision) of apartments in any location (and especially town centres)is little short of a disaster. It is producing the slums of to-morrow.

So, I think the message here is: proceed with caution.

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Padiham Paul, Padiham says...
12:09pm Wed 14 May 08

I disagree with the comments above. It is an appalling idea. Several issues spring to mind. Parking for 1.5 cars per flat as per current guidelines = 75 car parking spaces, I would like to ensure that these are provided. Also as Kevin says apartmentmania seems to have grabbed Burnley developers. Virtually every new build is now apartments, there is very little family housing being proposed, especially over 2 beds. Where are the people going to come from that either buy or rent 1 and 2 bed apartments? The Imperial Bingo apartments are struggeling to sell, and there are lots of proposals for other apartments on the drawing board that have planning approval. It is an effort to maximise profits for developers that will backfire big style and yes it will mean current family house prices increasing due to supply and demand when all that are for sale are apartments, but it is not the right way to go for a family town such as Burnley. More proper houses less apartments please.

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Kevin, Colne says...
1:17pm Wed 14 May 08

Paul

I can't fall-out with your observations here. The over-supply of apartments in regional city centres such as Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester is desperate. Apartments can be had for 50p on the £ and still in some cases there are no takers. The danger is we end uop in the same situation in towns across East Lancashire. Hence my plea: proceed with caution.

One could tell we were near the top of the market when developers came forward with plans for apartment waterside living in Brierfield. It doesn't come much more crazy than this.

Too often the apartments being constructed are too small, but much the same can be said for new developments generally, inlcuding so called 'family' homes.

It always puzzles me that when people buy things at the supermarket they demand the greatest kilo per £ yet never make a similar calculation when buying the most expensive thing they're ever likely to buy in their lifetime - a house.

The question house buyers should ask is: what are we paying per square foot? Of course developers and estate agents never give this figure for to do so would reveal the sheer absurdity of the mania that has gripped much of the citizenry this past 8 years or so.

Kevin

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