PLANNING chiefs have rejected a scheme to build more than 100 holiday homes at Gisburn.

Ribble Valley Borough Council's planning and development committee turned down the proposals by Gisburn Park Estates.

The proposals had also received strong opposition from Lancashire County Council.

The County Council stated that the caravans would be of detriment to the nearby rural landscape.

Twelve letters of objection and a 44-name petition were submitted to the council, raising concerns that the scheme would lead to too many caravan park facilities in the area, as well as causing increased traffic and noise and the loss of trees.

Speaking on behalf of the applicant, planning consultant Andrew Walker said they had spent a considerable amount of time trying to resolve access problems and planning landscape improvements.

These included the removal of the existing eyesore buildings.

Mr Walker said the county landscape officer had virtually ignored benefits of the scheme and misrepresented most of the objections.

He added that he believed there was some support for the scheme from council officers. He said: "A balance must be struck, but I believe the county landscape officer has made this difficult."

But Christopher Dearden, speaking on behalf of local residents, told the committee that the application should be refused.

"Local residents have always objected to the application and these objections still stand," he said.