COUNCIL officers bowed to public pressure yesterday and announced they would notturn a Lancaster old people's home into a centre for problem teenagers.

Last year Lancashire County Council earmarked Fair Elms home for the elderly on Cannon Hill as a replacement for the current Bolton-le-Sands children's home.

But residents campaigned against the plan claiming the home was unsuitable and local people had not been fully consulted. The announcement will not affect the decision to close down Fair Elms as an old peoples' home.

On being told the news by the Citizen neighbours and protesters were overjoyed. Margarite Clegg (pictured) helped co-ordinate local protesters.

She enthused: "You have really made our day with this news. I feel like raising the flag. We applied a lot a pressure against them and it's paid off.

"Apart from anything we don't think it would be right for children. There would be nowhere for them to go and it's very near the city centre."

Ann Rickards also campaigned against the decision. She said: "We already have more than a dozen institutions around here so it wasn't a good area. We admire the people who work with the youngsters but we don't think this place was right for them. We had a hard time getting the council to listen to us so this is absolutely great news."

Margarite's husband Arthur added that the protesters had received support from hundreds of people from all around the area - not just nearby residents - and young families as well as retired people had voiced their support.

Chairman of Lancashire County Council's Social Services Committee, Cllr Doreen Pollitt, said: "I and my colleagues in Lancaster, County Councillors Bob Clarke and Nicki Penney, along with social services officers, have concluded that the development of Fair Elms will not serve children so well as a smaller scale, more localised, services.

"The discussions about the possible use of Fair Elms as a children's home are now concluded and other possibilities for children's services will be discussed by the social services committee."

Ward councillor Dr Jon Barry added: "This is a victory for local people and local democracy."

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