A GROUP of residents in Barrowford are preparing to do battle once more over plans for a play area in the grounds of Holmefield House.

The Barrowford and Western Parishes Committee will be asked to consider the proposals for the play area and for a kick-about area on Bull Holme on Thursday.

A short presentation was given at the last meeting Barrowford Parish Council and a petition bearing five signatures in support of the play areas was handed in.

It was decided that the matter should be considered further at the next meeting. The Council has £48,000 to spend on two play areas in the Newbridge area.

Residents against the plans are hoping this will be there opportunity to persuade councillors that the grounds of Holmefield House - which is used by the Multiple Sclerosis group and the elderly - is not a suitable site.

A 200-name petition against the plans was handed in at the last meeting.

Spokesman for the campaigners, Dorothy Ridehalgh, said: "I will be putting our point across again and hopefully it will be sorted out once and for all this time.

"I have been to look at the slips of paper in support of the scheme which were on the bottom of a leaflet given out by the parish council to school children in Barrowford. "The main block of signatures is from people in Nelson and Colne whose children go to school in Barrowford so it won't even affect them.

"We handed our petition in and then did a survey of 100 people in the Newbridge area who the proposed Holmefield play area is supposed to be catering for. Sixty-six people were against the proposals, 14 people said even if there was a need for a play area it did not necessarily have to be Holmefield House and they would back it being on the Lower Clough allotment site and the other 20 people either said they were not interested, they didn't go to parks or they were moving."

Campaigners object because they believe it would fall in to neglect and be used by nuisance teenagers and they are concerned it would disturb users of Holmefield House.

Mrs Ridehalgh said: "We have said all along that the residents are worried about the older children coming along to the play ground when the younger children have come off.