BATTLING residents have spent a staggering £40,000 of their own money in the fight to stop a block of mock Tudor flats being built near their homes.

Protesters have hired a barrister, town planner, a geologist and a tree expert to gather facts and figures to support their opposition to plans for the site of the former Heathfield School on Meins Road, Blackburn.

The Meins Road Area Residents' Association has compiled a large bound dossier setting out the arguments, and carried out a traffic survey at the busy Preston New Road junction.

And if all else fails and Blackburn Borough Council gives the go-ahead, the association is ready to take the matter to a judicial review.

"We have 100 per cent support from all residents in the area," said association chairman Michael Saulet.

"We have all contributed to the cost and we feel it is money well spent.

"If it passes this plan, the council will be going against its own draft local plan which has so far cost £500,000 of taxpayers' money."

The latest ammunition is a from an arboriculturalist, leaving no doubt that the mature trees on the site - currently the subject of tree protection orders - would be badly hit if building goes ahead as planned.

In his report to the association, Colne-based arboricultural consultant Iain Tavendale says no consideration appears to have been given to the expected root spreads of the trees and the damage that construction could cause.

He casts doubt on whether the three foot wide strip left between the new building and the protective fencing to be placed round the trees during construction would be sufficient.

Mr Tavendale adds: "There is considerable concern that the proposed development of this site as indicated on the drawings provided will cause severe damage and disturbance to many protected and retained trees on the site resulting in a loss of the high visual amenity that they currently afford."

He concludes that even if root disturbance can be minimised during building, the trees would create problems with shading of the main windows of various flats, requiring constant pruning which would destroy the amenity offered by the trees.

Mr Saulet said the report from the council's tree officer did not have any detailed analysis of the impact on trees, despite the fact that the council's own draft local plan says arboricultural implication studies should be submitted with planning applications.

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