A CAMPAIGN has been launched in a rural village against an “unlawful” planning ruling by Ribble Valley Borough Council.

At a public meeting residents in Gisburn decided to call on the council’s planning chiefs to review a decision to grant permission for three detached houses in Mill Lane.

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In a council document outlining the decision, which was taken under delegated powers and not voted on by a committee, an officer said that no objections were received.

The council has said because of this the decision is not unlawful.

However the residents have argued that a raft of objections were posted, hand delivered and submitted online to the council and by not taking them into account this leaves the decision “unlawful”.

The residents have been urged to contact the council so an investigation can be launched.

Resident David Waters said: “Understandably there is a large number of people in the village who are very upset by this.

“It seems that the council have not taken our views into account and have just gone ahead and passed the application.

“I understand that if people from Clitheroe and Whalley hear of this they might laugh and say that this application is nothing.

“Is not acceptable for the council to have been sent these views and for them not to be recorded for whatever reason.

“For that we are planning to write to the council a very strong letter.”

The original plan was submitted to the council by Gisburne Park Estate in February and was passed earlier this month.

Before the decision announcement Gisburn Parish Council also objected to the application, a move that was recorded by the borough council.

Parish councillors said that they were against the plan because it would be beyond the settlement boundary and “extremely” close to the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

John Macholc, Ribble Valley Borough Council’s head of planning services, said: “We have found no evidence of correspondence regarding Mill Lane in Gisburn having been received.

“The council’s schemefor planning applications allows applications to be determined by officers if fewer than 10 objections have been received.”