Clitheroe residents remain infuriated with building contractors as works continue despite planning permission being rejected.

Plans for a house of multiple occupancy in Bawdlands have led to several complaints to the council, with residents remaining concerned about the potential impact on infrastructure.

Residents attended the Ribble Valley Planning and Development Committee on Thursday, October 17, where it was decided permission would be refused.

Having already been rejected once before, the property developer has regularly submitted new plans to the council, and residents claim building work is still ongoing, with builders spotted over the weekend.

This "blatant disregard for planning laws" is the major issue with the residents, who claim the builders have blocked the road on multiple occasions and have left emergency services unable to get past.

Resident Ruth O’Neill said: “I don’t think it was much about keeping the HMO out of the town but more how the developer has handled himself.

"He has blatantly disregarded planning laws by carrying on.

“If you drive past it has almost finished building inside yet he didn’t have planning permission and he has chosen to carry on regardless and it has been that attitude that has upset the resident rather than the HMO itself.

“It just feels like he doesn't care about the local community by disregarding any rules and we wonder what will happen and do it anyway even if the council doesn’t agree.”

The double-width terraced two-storey property in Bawdlands has been vacant since December 2021.

Both the ground and first-floor components are currently in use as commercial and residential units and planning consent had been sought to change this use to make way for a large HMO for a minimum of eight residents.

Ruth added: “What Clitheroe really needs is affordable family homes. It is the perfect property to have two flats and a terraced house that could have housed two families."

This is the second time the issue has been raised with the council originally rejecting the plans in March 2024 and then rejecting a further appeal.

Councillor Ian Brown said while some of the work is permitted, the developer is continuing with other bits at their own risk, with the refusal confirmed in Thursday’s meeting.

Ribble Valley Council is now waiting to see if an appeal will be launched.

Resident Martin Garlick said: “For the residents, it's like another win, we have won another round, and we are elated it got rejected again.

“But there is going to be another round, I am going to have to step up the campaign.”

Presenting a new plan to the council the issue was pushed onto the agenda last minute and gave residents no chance to be able to read it.

“It was a very late submission and there was no chance that we would have been able to read it and it was a clever technique," Mr Garlick said.

“I wouldn’t object to flats and ideally, you would leave a shop there and that will make complete sense. It is just the HMO part that we are rejecting.”

Boutique Housing has been contacted for comment.