RESIDENTS in Guide are vowing to fight on after a planning decision went in favour of a 1,000-job commercial development near their homes.

The knockback for the Guide residents' campaign to preserve their village was softened by news that a government inspector had imposed severe restrictions on developers Arrowcroft North West - including saying a planned petrol station and car showroom should not be built.

The inspector also recommended changing the planned layout to keep it as far away from residents as possible.

A final decision is now awaited from Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and Guide residents have vowed to use the time to step up their campaign and lobby Blackburn MP and Home Secretary Jack Straw for help.

Apart from the car showroom and petrol station, a sport/health centre, tennis courts, hotel, pub and offices are also planned for the site near Fishmoor Reservoir off Haslingden Road.

The long-running saga began in the summer of 1998 when residents joined forces to oppose the development, only for Blackburn with Darwen Council's planning committee to recommend it to go-ahead.

But the size of the development meant it automatically had to go to government planning experts in Manchester before any work could begin.

A public inquiry was held last July, which delayed the project even more.

The inspector has spent the whole of the autumn and winter drawing up her report, meaning further delays.

Residents' spokesman Pat Kennedy said: "We will carry on fighting this to preserve the character of our village.

"We believe we still have a good chance of getting the inquiry re-opened because there were some misconceptions about the case we presented."

Christopher Fox, the managing director of Arrowcroft, said: "We are pleased to note the inspectors' recommendations but we now await a formal decision from the Government."

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