RESIDENTS have won their fight to prevent 77 houses being built on land at Lowerhouse Fold, Burnley.

A delegation of residents attended Burnley Council's planning and environment committee, claiming that the village would be swallowed up by housing and Lowerhouse Lane would be turned into a death trap.

Coun Linda Whittaker said the proposal was against the development brief for the site and contrary to the comments of the Local Plan Inquiry inspector who had described the site as being particularly sensitive and part of a designated major open area.

Coun Whittaker said the proposed development would be absolutely intrusive and the message should go out to developers that similar schemes would not be approved.

Residents and councillors had also complained that some of the proposed houses would be near an electricity pylon with the possible links with cancer cases.

Coun Whittaker said the unsympathetic developer had even proposed to locate a children's play area at the base of the pylon.

Coun Beryl Barnes commented: "Once again we have a developer who submitted an application which totally ignores the development brief for the site.''

The plan was unanimously refused.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.