PLANS to build a new super school on playing fields in Brierfield have been put on hold.

Lancashire County Council (LCC) has deferred its planning application over proposals to create a 1,050-place secondary school on Bent Head playing fields.

The plan was part of the £250million Building Schools for the Future programme.

But it has been shelved after talks with Pendle Council.

Under the scheme, the authority wants to replace Mansfield and Edge End high schools with the proposed Marsden Heights College.

However, after county chiefs met yesterday with Pendle's top councillors and officers the authority decided to postpone the application to allow for further talks regarding traffic concerns at the new school.

This means the application will no longer be discussed by Pendle's development control committee when it meets at Nelson Town Hall this evening.

However, Coun Alan Whittaker, the county council's cabinet member for education, today said the application had not been withdrawn and would be re-submitted in the coming weeks.

He said: "It has been deferred to clarify certain aspects that the borough council would like to discuss further.

"It is an outline planning application with not all the details in it and we will be going again in a few weeks, hopefully having resolved some of the borough council's concerns."

A report which was due to go before Pendle's planning councillors said both the Brierfield and Reedley, as well as the Nelson committee, have objected to the plans.

The objections have been made because of concerns over road safety, car parking and the effect it would have on the Edge End Conservation Area.

Scores of residents have registered their objections to the scheme and want to see the new school built on the existing Edge End site. However, a final decision will rest with LCC.

Pendle Council leader, Coun Alan Davies added: "We met to discuss the issues that have been raised in the planning consultation.

"And as a result they are deferring the application. This will allow for more time to discuss the issues that have been raised."