A GOVERNMENT inspector will visit a hillside field in Pendle before deciding whether a developer can turn part of it into a housing estate.

Fairclough Homes is appealing against Pendle Council decision not to allow it to build around 160 houses on land between Halifax Road, Nelson, and Kings Causeway, Brierfield.

A three-day public inquiry to decide the future of the site began at Nelson Town Hall yesterday.

Counsel for Fairclough and the council presented opening statements.

Worried local residents, who oppose the development, watched the proceedings.

The inquiry will finish with a site visit by the inspector to see the location for himself.

Residents fear the new homes will generate thousands of extra car journeys on local roads and put added pressure on services, such as schools.

Councillors argued the proposed estate would contravene Pendle Local Plan rules which set out how land should be used.

Fairclough's representatives claimed the plan falls within the Lancashire structure plan, a planning blueprint. The developer promised to contribute towards the cost of creating a zebra crossing in Halifax Road to allay residents' safety fears.

The inquiry is hearing two appeals in one.

The council refused planning permission for one estate plan and did not decide on a similar scheme within the statutory two month limit.