DEVELOPERS behind plans for a 270-house estate on a patch of land in Colne known as ‘The Rough’ will meet with residents next month.

The scheme will be shown to residents, at Colne Cricket Club, on Wed-nesday, February 5, from 4pm to 7pm, and then on Thursday, February 6, from 2pm to 4pm.

Campaign group Lidgett and Beyond, which includes former Hollies drummer and local resident Bobby Elliott as one of its members, is now calling on lovers of the green land to fight to save it.

Oliver Owen, chairman of Lidgett and Beyond, said: “We are very worr-ied.

“We held an emergency meeting with local councillors last week.

“Of particular concern is that Pendle’s Core Strategy and Land Alloc-ation will not be adopted until at least next summer, leaving us vulnerable to monstrous developments like this that are completely out of scale with our area.”

The area is popular among locals for dog walking, rambling and recr-eation, and is part of the informally-named ‘Green Lung of Colne’.

Before Christmas, wooden stakes were driven into the ground all over the site, which is currently farmed by a local farmer. The surveyors also laid down traffic monitors on both Skipton Old Road and Castle Road.

The land in question is a mixture, with protected status and ‘special settlement character’ designations and borders the green belt. Part of it lies within the Lidgett Conservation Area.

Favordale resident and former Nelson and Colne College principal Alison Birkinshaw said: “Lidgett and Beyond has a healthy membership, and a modest fighting fund, but it is clear we need to marshal our forces now.

“Anyone wanting to join should contact info@lidgettandbeyond.co.uk. It is free.

“What most people don’t realise is that developers throw huge sums of money to develop profitable green sites like this, and they only have to win once and the land is gone for-ever.”