RESIDENTS in Guide battling to stop a huge retail development from swallowing up their village have been told they will have to arrange their holidays to avoid missing D-day.

Campaigners in the area had been warned that the Government's North West office in Manchester had been considering July 26 as a date for a public inquiry and said they would be disappointed if that date was chosen as it is in the middle of Blackburn holidays.

Now that date has been confirmed and a planning inspector will come to Blackburn to hold the inquiry and visit the site of the development, near Haslingden Road.

Developers Arrowcroft North West, an arm of United Utilities, want to build a hotel, a car showroom, a petrol filling station and a sport/health centre and will be hoping the inspector gives the final go-ahead after 12 month of delays.

Pat Kennedy, spokesman for the Guide campaigners said: "It was disappointing to get final confirmation that July 26 will be the date, but all we can do now is work around it.

"A lot of people in the village will no doubt be away but we would still like to see as many people as possible attend the inquiry to show the inspector just how strong the opposition to these plans is."

Guide campaigners are currently fighting to stave off other housing and industrial developments which are planned for the area although they failed to stop Arrowcroft North West gaining full permission for a large housing project in the borough in the summer of 1998.

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