LONGRIDGE residents have been called on to sign a petition to ‘protect the town which is under siege’ from developers.

Dilworth councillors Ken Hind and Rupert Swarbrick want residents to sign the ‘Save Longridge’ petition after delivering 600 leaflets to households in the Ribble Valley town.

The petition will be handed to the Ribble Valley Borough Council, urging it to ‘stand firm’ on the numbers of homes to be built in Longridge in its plan for development of the whole borough to 2028.

Coun Hind said: “The problem we face in Longridge is that it’s a town under siege from developers who are desperate to bypass development plans formulated by local authorities.

“The borough development plan and the Longridge Neighbourhood Plan led by the town council now in preparation will provide defences against demands for excessive development.

“The solution for Longridge residents is to sign the petition, and support the Longridge Neighbourhood Plan.

“We plan to raise the need for the Ribble Valley Borough Council to stand firm at the Core Strategy working group on Thursday, a subcommittee set up to drive forward the Borough Development plan.”