The Ribble Valley is a beautiful place and therein lies its biggest challenge – everyone wants to live there and the price of housing is at a massive premium compared to the rest of the region.

As a result, the cost to first-time buyers is often prohibitive, forcing an exodus of the potential workforce to less expensive areas and increasing the risk of the Valley becoming a dormitory for surrounding boroughs.

“The biggest challenge we face in the Valley is providing affordable housing,” says David Morris, the chief executive of Ribble Valley Borough Council.

“We have got lots of lovely houses and that is what makes it one of the most attractive places to live. But the people who are living in rural areas, especially young families, cannot afford to stay here.

“We are not unique in this but we are unique in East Lancashire. I wouldn’t say you could buy a house in Burnley or Hyndburn or Blackburn for loose change but if you can buy something for £100,000 in the Ribble Valley you are lucky.

“From a business point of view it favours the rest of East Lancashire and Manchester and Preston because a lot of people who can afford to live in the Ribble Valley come to live here but work elsewhere. But it is a strange service to provide.”

The council is taking pro-active steps to address the problem.

“We have got a planning policy where, if there are more than 15 dwellings being built, the majority of those dwellings have got to be affordable, in other words 51%. But that is stopping developments, which is something of a stalemate.”

On one prime site, for instance, the builder has decided that, bearing in mind what he paid for the land, the development is not commercially viable. “He is just waiting for this semi-moratorium to be lifted a little bit and is hanging on,” said David.

The council is also working with housing associations and other social housing partners on projects throughout the Valley, providing homes on a shared ownership basis or for rent.

It is also working hard to maximise the tourism potential of the area with £3.2 million being spent on the Castle Museum next to the iconic Norman keep which has stood guard over Clitheroe for 800 years. It is due to open at Easter next year.

That, he believes, will be a big attraction and now, with the Chamber of Trade, attention is being focused on the town centre and its market to ensure the shopping experience for visitors encourages them to return.

For a beautiful pastoral area the Ribble Valley also has its share of industry, although the planners’ task is to find more industrial land without damaging the environment. “The last bit of industrial land we have got is the old Barrow Printworks site,” said David.

Planners are now looking along the A59 corridor with the land next to the Salthills Industrial Estate at Clitheroe a prime site for development.

There is, however, one industrial site on the fringe of the borough which is burgeoning. “BAE Systems at Salmesbury is great for us. I think over the next 10 to 15 years there’s going to be about 10,000 new jobs there. That is a massive boost, not just for the Ribble Valley but for the whole North West.”

What other business opportunities are there in the valley?

“I say this with a smile on my face but we want to get a racecourse in the Ribble Valley,” said David. “It will be a massive, massive investment – we are talking about hundreds of millions of pounds.”

But is the development of a racecourse at Simonstone really a runner? “I think so, yes, I really do. It’s still on the books and we, as local authorities, Ribble Valley and the rest of East Lancashire, are keen to see it. We think it would be superb for the area because there is talk of other spin-offs such as hotels, trade shows, conference centres and a permanent home for the Royal Lancashire Show.

“If it is just a bit of a show, they are putting a damn good front up to it with the people they are putting in there. I have seen architect’s drawings and there are discussions going on with the landowners there. It would be a great development and it is an exciting time.”

< 1 2 3 >