In 1991 residents of Grane discovered that Rossendale Planners had designated the green fields adjoining their village as an employment site in the Rossendale District Plan, and that land would be compulsory purchased if necessary to ensure this happened. “Save Grane” was born and campaigners, backed by the Free Press, fought against these proposals. After lobbying Rossendale Councillors and gaining their support, the matter was considered at a Public Inquiry where a Government Inspector ruled that employment would be confined to the former Bleachworks site and fields in question would remain a buffer zone so as not to give rise to creeping development. Save Grane then became Grane Residents’ Association and for the past 28 years members have worked on many environmental projects to benefit the local community, visitors to the area and the habitat in what is the jewel in Rossendale’s crown - the Grane Valley.

We are now in 2020 and Rossendale Planners and developers have decided that it is a good idea to reverse the Inspector’s decision, move the Urban Boundary and allow the former green field buffer zone to be designated for housing. Despite Grane Residents’ Association’s long history, Rossendale Planners have been formulating plans with Taylor Wimpey since 2013, but have failed to canvass our views or those of current residents who will be affected by development. We believe the plan is ill conceived for the following reasons:

Flood Risk: We have serious concerns in relation to changing weather patterns and increased flood risk, should this development take place. The fields are currently a soakaway for rainfall and water runoff from the hillside to the north of the site. The land throughout the year, is extremely wet and water runoff from house roofs and hard landscaping will put further pressure on the river at the foot of the site, which carries the overflow from three reservoirs and ultimately posing a further danger to existing properties positioned downstream. Flooding in Helmshore and Irwell Vale is already becoming a greater occurrence, as evidence by not only the Boxing Day 2015 floods, but also the recent floods by Storm Ciara.

Traffic: The development of over 131 houses will result in an increase of over 300 vehicles traveling to and from the site onto Grane Road, this can and will add further pressure to the already extremely busy road. At present, it can take over 10 minutes for motorists to gain access onto Grane Road from Holcombe Road and other side roads. Grane Road has become a major link between the M66 and M65 as it allows a faster route between Rossendale and major towns and city such as Blackburn, Chorley and Preston to the north and Bury and Manchester to the south. There has already been two fatal collisions on Grane Road in the past three months and further traffic will not only increase these figures, but also the rise in traffic will cause delays to emergency vehicles, using the road to link Rossendale to its local A&E unit in Blackburn.

Wildlife: Residents in the area are witness to the fact that there is an abundance of wildlife species inhabiting the green field site, but the developer’s survey disputes claims that there are any species of relevance. The wildlife that call those fields home and can be seen regularly include deer, bats, both barn and tawny owls, common newts, frogs, toads, sparrow hawks and red kites, all of which will be displaced upon any development of this land. The development will result in the loss of mature hedgerows and trees bordering the site and along the Public Right of Way, this is contrary to the Government’s proposals to encourage people and communities to plant trees and take care of their green spaces. It must also be noted that the site in question sits adjacent to the protected Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Please sign this petition to register your objection to the proposed housing development, to ensure the green fields remain so, not only for the residents of Grane and Helmshore but also for the many visitors who enjoy the stunning Grane Valley.

Thank you