A COUNCIL has been ordered to allow travelling showmen to park their rides on green belt land in a bid to protect the tradition of travelling fairs.

Councillors at Hyndburn Council today expressed disappointment at the decision by Stephen Byers, secretary of state for the regions, and claimed they were just trying to preserve the borough's countryside.

Last year members of the development services committee at the council refused an application by two showride owners from Chorley for permission to use land near to the Moorfield Industrial Estate, in Burnley Road, Altham, to house 18 rides during the winter months.

The application prompted 112 letters of objection from nearby residents.

And councillors claimed the nearby Leeds and Liverpool Canal could be polluted and that the site could eventually become a dumping ground for old rides.

They also said it would blight green belt land and feared rides would be tested on the site.

The council officially refused the application on the grounds that it contravened planning regulations surrounding the green belt. The applicants, a Mr and Mrs Silcock, lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate, which passed it on to the secretary of state.

A report into the appeal has stated that councillors were right to claim the application would be of detriment to the green belt.

But he stated that the planning application should be allowed because it was the only suitable site in East Lancashire for such a base, stating that: "The applicant wants to alleviate a pressing need for permanent quarters for showpeople in and around East Lancashire."

He added that other sites suggested by Hyndburn Council were unsuitable because not all the showpeople could live on one site.

Today, Coun Jim Dickinson, the councillor with responsibility for planning, said: "It is disappointing and frustrating because we were trying to protect the green belt. We will just have to live with it." Brendan Lyons, chief planning officer at the council, said: "We could ask for a judicial review but I don't know whether we will pursue that."