The authority, responsible for highways, has told Hyndburn Council that the scheme, as it stands, has an ‘operationally limiting design’ which is not fit for purpose.
The 0.7-mile stretch of highway, costing £1m per 176 yards of road, will serve the planned £460m Huncoat Garden village, which is projected to bring 1,816 new homes to Hyndburn borough.
The new single-carriageway road, called Huncoat Lane, would have a 30mph speed limit and join the Western Roundabout of the A679 Burnley Road / A56 Accrington bypass near The Griffin pub.
The proposed Huncoat Lane roundabout onto the A56. (Image: Hyndburn Council)
However, the county council has expressed concerns that building just a single carriageway is insufficient when considering future traffic demand.
It is a key first stage in the construction of the controversial project to redevelop the former power station and colliery sites at Huncoat.
Huncoat ward’s Cllr Dave Parkins, who chairs the borough planning committee, said he ‘100 per cent’ endorses LCC’s concerns.
Cllr Dave Parkins. (Image: Hyndburn Council)
In a letter dated February 2, Kelly Holt, LCC’s Highway Development Control Engineer, tells Hyndburn Council: “Whilst we fully support the principle of the scheme and the council’s intention to secure infrastructure to support their Local Plan, our position at this time is that we are still in dispute with the findings on a number of matters.
“Primarily, regarding the suitability of the design of the relief road to provide sufficient long-term reliability to accommodate and satisfy the needs of all modes of transport on the length of the new highway, but also operationally at the Altham Lane signalised junction, and secondly, the cycle connectivity to Altham Lane and Burnley Road.
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“We are wholly dissatisfied that we are in dispute on matters after they were raised initially by the Highway Authority during the pre-application discussions and again in May 2025 during the application consultation period.
“It is important to remember this is all new highway infrastructure and we have only one opportunity to deliver the road and junction. Once delivered, opportunities to provide additional provision will be lost.
Cllr Melissa Fisher. (Image: Hyndburn Council)
“Providing an operationally limiting design at this stage will likely result in retrospective infrastructure being required to address future capacity and safety-related matters being proposed at a later date, which is inherently more expensive and significantly more disruptive for highway users and in this case unlikely to be delivered as it would be cost-prohibitive when regard is had to other infrastructure being delivered.”
Cllr Parkins, who withdraws from all planning committee discussions on the garden village and its relief road, said: “I have been banging on about this relief road since day one.
“I would definitely endorse LCC’s concerns 100 per cent.”
Hyndburn Council’s housing and regeneration boss Cllr Melissa Fisher said: “We welcome Lancashire County Council’s feedback.
“Discussions are still ongoing, therefore it is not appropriate to comment further until the planning application is finalised.”
In June, Hyndburn Council’s cabinet approved the start of acquiring the land and property needed to enable the construction of the relief road, giving delegated authority to Cllr Fisher and officials to deliver the Huncoat Garden Village project following the council entering a grant funding agreement with Homes England for £29.9m.
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