VILLAGERS in Guide failed in a last-ditch attempt to stop councillors approving a 33-home development in their area.

The Guide Residents Association intervened at the last minute in a bid to persuade Blackburn with Darwen Council's planning committee to put the plan, for land off Haslingden Road, on hold to iron out concerns raised by local people.

Campaigners in the village have already failed in a bid to stop a homes development near Fishmoor reservoir and are awaiting the verdict of a government inspector on whether a large commercial development in the area should go ahead.

They wrote to the council saying they had not been consulted on Gleeson Homes' project.

They said that parking problems had not been given consideration, extra places would have to be provided in nearby schools, and the developers should provide facilities for the nearby recreation ground.

Conservative Coun Fred Slater said: "This little village is becoming a place where there is going to be so much traffic it will totally lose its identity.

"There is going to be a lot of traffic coming from Queen's Park Hospital through this area.

"I can't see anything to deter this specific application, but we need to look overall at this situation."

Planning chairman Coun Frank Connor, promised to write to the developers to ask them to meet residents in Guide to discuss the parking situation.

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