BURNLEY Council's new leader marked his first day in the post by refusing to give the county council land for a new super school.

Gordon Birtwistle's stance has put him on a collision course with Lancashire County Council, which was expecting to be given Towneley playing fields to build the 1,050-place Unity College.

But the move has delighted the thousands of campaigners who are against the school being built on the land.

Coun Birtwistle's refusal will force through the public inquiry that was denied to the campaigners, despite a 1,500-name petition, by the government less than two weeks ago.

At that time, the government said that there would not be an inquiry into the county council's decision to approve plans for the college to take over from Towneley High School as it was not an "exceptional case".

But now the refusal to swap land is likely to result in the county council making a compulsory purchase order to buy the land.

And before this process can happen, there must be a public inquiry.

Any battle over the land would cost in the region of £30,000 for an inquiry and would take around a year.

However as Unity College is the last to be built, an inquiry was not expected to delay the £250million Building Schools for Future project.

Coun Birtwistle, leader of the Liberal Democrats after ousting Labour in a coalition with the Conservatives, said: "We haven't yet received a formal request for the land, but if we do it looks very much like that would be refused and the county council would have to compulsorily purchase the site.

"An inquiry would give any objectors the chance to put their views across."

Chair of the Fulledge Action Community Team, Margaret Nelson, said: "An inquiry is something we have been hoping for and we will carry on fighting.

"If an inquiry was held it would give us a welcome platform from which to put across our views and for the people of Burnley to hear them.

"At the moment it feels like we are being railroaded into something by the government and the county council."

Ian Galbraith, secretary of Towneley for the People, one of the groups fighting to prevent the building, said the group was objecting on grounds including the loss of parkland, that more suitable alternative sites were available and because the county council was deciding on its own planning application.

He said: "This is too important an issue for the future of the town for us to give up."

But one high-profile supporter of the scheme, former Burnley MP Peter Pike, said: "Hopefully the council will co-operate and not stand in the way of the county council."

Chair of the education committee at the county council, Alan Whittaker said: "The county council wants to ensure that Burnley benefits from the Building Schools for the Future project and will seek a meeting with Burnley council to discuss the Towneley Park issue. "

The plans also include the demolition of the existing Towneley School and restoration of that site to parkland.