PROTESTERS met outside a town hall to show their ‘disgust’ towards a proposed housing development.

Around 200 demonstrators carrying placards stood outside Clitheroe town hall before last night’s Ribble Valley full council meeting in a bid to urge the authority to appeal against plans to build 345 houses, as well as a creche, at Waddow View.

A consortium of landowners, including Clitheroe Auction Mart, the Huntroyde Estate and John Taylor, appealed after the plans were originally rejected on February 14.

Council bosses said they were advised not to fight the appeal because of the costs likely to be incurred if it fails.

The demonstration was organised by Roland Hailwood, who is also Clitheroe’s town crier.

He spoke at the meeting and said the council needed to answer some ‘serious questions’.

He said: “Transparency is so important and they have not been very transparent in their dealings.

“The bottom line to all this is that this could pull the bung out and cause Clitheroe to become swamped and ruin the ambience of the town.

“The infrastructure cannot cope with it and I have not met anybody who has said that there will not be any problems.

“If there is a development that is going to have such a radical effect on the town as this will, that has got to be a reason for not allowing it.”

Sheila Waddington, who has lived in Waddington Road for 50 years, said she felt the application was ‘madness’.

She said:” I have been to every meeting on this issue and written lots of letters. I think nobody is taking any notice.”

And Shirley Wilson, of Park Avenue, said: “Ribble Valley is a tourist area. People come for our green fields and, if we build thousands of houses on them, we will be stabbing ourselves in the back. It is just foolishness.”

Ribble Valley Council’s deputy leader Stuart Hirst said: “We understand and share the strength of feeling and frustration of residents at a significant increase in major planning applications targeted at the borough in the last 18 months. We are doing all we can to address those concerns and will continue to press government ministers on this matter.”