CALLS have been made for members of Ribble Valley Borough Council’s planning committee to resign in the wake of ‘disastrous’ housing decisions.

The council recently lost an appeal against David Wilson Homes to build 137 properties in front of the Whalley Viaduct and an emergency committee decided to pull out of contesting the Waddow View appeal for 345 homes in Clitheroe.

Nick Walker, chairman of the Save Whalley Village Action Group, questioned what powers councillors actually had to make an impact on planning applications. He said: “The whole planning process is against anything which might stop houses being built wherever the developers want to build them.

“Despite delegations from the valley going to meet with planning ministers and lobbying MPs from the governing party, nothing has been done to help the council’s position.

“The councillors have effectively been removed from the decision-making process.

“If councillors cannot fulfil their role any more there is only one course of action left to them: make their protest and resign.

Coun Sue Knox, a member of the planning committee, said: “There is little point in councillors resigning in protest because then they are completely out of any decision-making position.

“It’s the wrong way to go about it and, if we resigned, all that would happen is that someone else would be elected.

“We will continue to act on behalf of the public and try to do what is best for the borough in the face of difficult circumstances.”