THERE were heated scenes in council chambers on Monday when plans for a massive retirement village on the site of the former Pontins holiday camp were unexpectedly given the go ahead.

Planning officers had recommended that the controversial plans be refused because the scheme did not fit in with local planning policy guidelines and there were potential problems with access to the site.

But Morecambe Bay Independents teamed up with Conservatives to go against the advice of officers and vote for for the C J Homes retirement village project.

Following a heated debate the plans were given the go ahead by the narrowest of margins - 10 votes to 9.

The vote upset Labour and Greens who said the decision left local housing policy in chaos.

Green councillor, Emily Heath, said: "I think this is a terrible decision. Creating an out-of-town ghetto for wealthy retired people goes against all the local and national planning policies which are aimed at creating mixed communities close to shops, leisure facilities and public transport."

She added: "I am amazed that Morecambe Bay Independent councillors backed the proposal. These homes are not aimed at meeting local needs and will undermine attempts to regenerate areas where there are already many empty houses such as parts of Morecambe. What's worse, the plans were a watered-down version of what was initially proposed with lots of really useful things like a health clinic, recreation facilities and places to eat and drink removed. This means even more people will be dependent on cars and there will be a huge increase in traffic on the Heysham peninsular."

The Middleton Towers Retirement Village could still be blocked by the Secretary of State but if it goes ahead the Greens have vowed to try and get 650 new homes deleted from the proposed Lancaster South development.

MBIs and Tories argued that the Pontins site was derelict and the retirement village would be a suitable development.

Cllr Paul Morris said: "If we reject this we could be looking at it being a derelict site for the next 20 to 30 years."