SHOCKWAVES are rippling through a small community as dismayed residents say a new pub will change the face of their historic village forever.

Residents in Heysham are furious that a blueprint for the watering hole was given the nod by Lancaster City Councillors despite more than 40 objections.

A former restaurant on Barrows Lane has been granted permission to be transformed into a pub and extended to twice the original size.

Protestors say the development will not fit in with the Heysham conservation area - and are lodging a complaint with the local government ombudsman.

"It is hard to believe that a small planning application could change the perception of so many residents to the way the local authority and many of its councillors behave," says Cllr Philip Lee.

"The problem wasn't whether the residents wanted another public house or not. It was the sheer size of the extension to the building, which will be the first thing that people see when they come into the village.

"Residents here have struggled to improve the village for many years and all that hard work is going to be ruined. The council has done whatever it wants regardless of our objections."

Complaints also came from the Neighbourhood Council and the Heritage Centre on the grounds that the building is an unacceptable design and size within a conservation area.

Cllr Lee says residents claim the public consultation process was flawed because no notices were put up in the village.

"I doubt we can get the decision overturned and so I will take the city council to the ombudsman," he adds.

But Andrew Dobson, head of planning and building control for Lancaster city council, says the views of local residents were considered.

"Planning decisions cannot be made purely based on the fact that local residents object. There must be sound planning grounds which can be defended on appeal," he told the Citizen.

"The fact that objectors do not always get their own way does not mean that their objections are not carefully considered and taken into account."