a business park proposal which would have created up to 1,600 jobs has been rejected.

Councillors went against the advice of council officers who had recommended the proposals for the 24-acre development on greenfield land between Barrowford Road and Lower Clough Mill, Barrowford, were approved.

But, because of this difference in opinion, the plans will now be referred to the council's development control committee to ensure the correct decision was made.

In 1993 planning permission was given to build a business park on the land, but that permission expired before the plan came to fruition.

Peel Investments submitted the planning application last year.

But councillors rejected the plans, claiming the site would cause traffic chaos and as the development should have been on a brown field site.

Resident and chairwoman of the Barrowford Labour Party Sue Nike said: "Clearly it is a complete over development of this site.

"The traffic must have doubled in the area since this was first approved.

"This is not going to be a business park it is going to be another industrial estate which is going to spread. It is being built here because of the motorway and will not give local people jobs."

If approved, nine two-storey units would have been built and permission granted to erect a number of other buildings and roads into the site which would have been determined later.

Peel Investments would have to meet 20 conditions including stipulations that only units used for offices, research centres, laboratories and hi-tech industries could be built as well as drawing up a travel plan examining how people would arrive at the site.

Paul Singleton for Peel Investments said the development would be better than the previous scheme and would attract a lot of investment into Pendle.

The matter will now be referred to the council's development control committee.