A VILLAGE housing more than 600 people is still on the cards for a rural site near Hey-sham.

Planning consent for developers CJ homes to build the 650-unit development on the the former Pontins site (pictured) at Middleton was granted by the Secretary of State for the Environment following a public inquiry in 2003 - but is due to run out in September.

But this week, a spokesman for the Department of Planning Partnership, the agent acting on behalf of CJ Homes, told the Citizen that the granted package will be going ahead.

"Things are still moving but we have to submit a reserved matters application to Lancaster City Council before we carry on," she says.

Residents in the village desperately battled against the proposed plans but without success.

Middleton Parish Council clerk Barbara Williams says: "I'm still against it because it is unsuitable to place 650 more residents in this area - but there is nothing that we can do . We were hoping it would just fall by the wayside."

Pontins closed as a holiday camp 10 years ago and has stood empty and deteriorating ever since.

A spokesman for Lancaster City Council says: "It was allocated as a tourist development site in the Local Plan but there has been little interest from the private sector in developing it for these purposes.

"An outline application to create a retirement village on the site with 650 dwellings and retail, community and leisure facilities was approved after the application was called in by the government office for decision.

"The owners have tried to market it for these purposes for several years but are now preparing detailed plans for a first phase of the development. I understand these are to be submitted shortly."