A COUNCILLOR has called for a referendum in a Ribble Valley village to end a dispute which has split the community for more than 20 years.

Coun Joyce Holgate believes a public vote -- which she thinks would be the first in Whalley's history -- is the only way to find out what people want.

The row centres around parking in Whalley.

Around 130 workers park on the two main streets in the village -- King Street and Accrington Road -- all day, leaving just one lane for traffic, which consequently causes hold-ups.

Ribble Valley Council had suggested that Vale Gardens, a patch of parish council-owned land near to the bus station, could be used for long-stay car parking.

That would enable Lancashire County Council to introduce parking restrictions on the main streets - something it says it cannot do until there is somewhere for long-stay visitors to park.

But Whalley Parish Council has refused to allow a car park on Vale Gardens, claiming it is what the people want.

However, a split in the parish council, which led to a special meeting held on Thursday night over the future of Vale Gardens, has prompted Coun Holgate to call for the referendum.

A parish and borough councillor, Coun Holgate believes that creating a 'tasteful' car park in Vale Gardens is what a lot of people want.

She said: "There is a petition going around supporting the idea and the parish council should reconsider. I think we should have a vote, to everyone in the village, to decide what should be done."

Lancashire County Council has allocated funding to refurbish the bus station this year. Three parish councillors on Thursday voted to overturn a parish council decision supporting the bus station revamp, claiming the design would make a car park on Vale Gardens impossible in the future.

But parish council leader Eric Ronnan won a vote to allow the county council-funded bus station improvements.

He said: "I am not opposed to someone putting Vale Gardens on the agenda and discussing what could be done and consulting with the public.

"But to have said no to the county council's work on the bus station would have been foolish."