Issue - meetings

In accordance with Regulation 10(1)(a) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012, the proper officer has informed Councillor Noordad Aziz, Chair of the Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee, that it is intended that the following key decision will be made by Cabinet on 18^th March 2026, under the General Exception provisions, on the grounds that the decision is urgent and cannot reasonably be deferred.

Report attached.

In accordance with Regulation 10(1)(a) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012, the proper officer had informed Councillor Noordad Aziz, Chair of the Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee, that it was intended that the following key decision would be made by Cabinet on 18^th March 2026, under the General Exception provisions, on the grounds that the decision was urgent and could not reasonably be deferred.

Members considered a report of Councillor Melissa Fisher, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Housing and Regeneration, providing Cabinet with an update on the Huncoat Garden Village Project, including an update on the progress to date with the acquisition of land interests in connection with the proposed residential relief road and seeking authority to the making of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) for the purchase of that land where agreement could not be reached, as well as agreeing delegations to officers to agree compensation and acquisition payments.

Councillor Fisher provided a brief introduction to the report, highlighting the good progress being made on the project and the proposed approach to the purchase of the land required for the relief road.  She also reported that the relevant planning consent for the road had been given at the Planning Committee meeting held on 11^th March 2026.  She thanked Mark Hoyle, Head of Regeneration and Housing, for his on-going work on this important project.

Councillor Pritchard spoke in favour of this matter.  Councillor Zak Khan also expressed support and asked about how the delegated powers in relation to making a CPO would be applied.  The Leader commented that use of the CPO would be a last resort as the Council hoped to reach agreement with land owners through negotiation.

Approval of the report was deemed a key decision.

Reasons for Decision

HGV formed a key part of Hyndburn Borough Council’s growth plans.  It was a residential-led, housing development project with the potential to transform the housing market within Hyndburn.  HGV would bring back into use the site of the former Huncoat Power Station, and the site of the former Huncoat Colliery, to create an extension to the existing Huncoat village using new garden community principles.  It would deliver circa 1,800 new homes of mixed tenure (including affordable and social housing), over a circa 15-year period, alongside a new local centre meeting amenity needs, an expanded primary school, 24 hectares of strategic and functional open space, including a safeguarded area of ecological importance, new woodland and networked open space, and infrastructure in the form of the Scheme, car parking provision at Huncoat Railway Station and localised road junction upgrades as required.

The Council had successfully secured circa £29.90 million from the Government’s Brownfield, Infrastructure and Land Fund (“BIL Funding”) which was managed by Homes England.  The secured funding covered the cost of land acquisition and delivery of the Scheme.  Money within the BIL Funding was also allocated for remediation works to the two largest sites within HGV at the former  ...  view the full minutes text for item 353