YOUR report of the Fylde Council meeting of October 1 highlights some of the deep emotions aroused by the Newfield Jones Homes plan to build flats on land in Ashton Gardens. All but a handful of councillors ignored the views of the people when they approved the planning permission last Monday.

More importantly, they ignored perfectly valid planning reasons why the Ashton Institute and Gardens should not be used for an apartment development. Many of the council's own planning policies were against approval. In particular, one that refers to indoor leisure facilities (ie the Ashton Institute), says: "The Council will seek to retain all existing indoor public and private sport and recreation facilities. Proposals for the redevelopment of such facilities will not be permitted."

Based on this, it is difficult to see how, either in planning terms, or even with any sense of honesty or credibility, approval to redevelop the Ashton Institute for apartments could have been granted at all.

Furthermore, the council has disregarded the professional advice they sought from English Heritage, the Garden History Society, the local Civic Society and indeed, ignored the very clear advice of the experts that they themselves appointed to advise on the future of the gardens.

They said: "The denial of planning permission to develop on any area of this garden must be seen as a key to the retention and restoration of the historic character of the gardens. This relates not only to the change in boundary that would result from such development and loss of land but to the irreversible change that would result from demolishing an original and public building, such as the Ashton Institute and its replacement with privately owned hard space or buildings".

In the light of such overwhelming advice to refuse the application, one has to ask -- why? Perhaps it is the expectation of a large cash sum. At least one councillor has expressed the hope that something around £1million will come from the deal.

Without doubt, this is pie in the sky. From my own experience of land values in the area, I believe the income to the council will be not more than £250,000 and I would not be at all surprised if, in the present economic climate, it were around half that figure.

The Council has granted planning permission, but it has yet to decide whether to dispose of the land to Newfield Jones Homes. This decision is wholly separate from the planning permission, and there is yet time to stop the madness by refusing to sell the land. However, there is a real danger that the council will feel committed to approving the sale in exchange for the 30 or so pieces of Newfield's silver because it has already granted planning permission.

They need to be convinced that this it is not what the residents and visitors to the town want. Equally, the Government needs to experience the strength of local feeling, and maybe Newfield Jones Homes ought to be made aware of the views too.

To make the process easier there is now a website at www.ashton gardens.org.uk which sets out all the reasons why the development should not go ahead. It includes a draft of a letter that you can write or email to the government to ask them to take the decision out of the hands of Fylde Council, and similar letters to write or email to the council, and Newfield Jones Homes.

Please have a look at the website and, if you agree that Ashton Gardens should be kept free of property developers, send the emails suggested above, then forward the website address to five of your friends and ask them to look at it and do the same. That way, the strength of public feeling will become known to the people involved in this matter.

Fred Moor,

Sandhurst Avenue,

St Annes.