VILLAGERS in Goosnargh and Whittingham are distraught after councillors gave the go-ahead for a massive housing development on the former Whittingham Hospital site.

Residents in the area have campaigned for years against the development which they say will ruin an actively farmed greenfield site and does not comply with the government's PPG3 policy.

But Preston planning committe declared the site as brownfield and gave the green light for the NHS Executive to build an extra 450 houses on top of those already agreed - making a new total of 950 residences in the area.

The announcement, last Thursday (July 27), means that the population in the Goosnargh and Whittingham area will more then double, with up to 3,000 more residents moving in and swamping village life.

And angry campaigners, who joined a mass rally two weeks ago to protest against the decision, are worried that they will now suffer from an increase in traffic passing through their village, causing excess noise and air pollution. The sale of the Gottfield site will provide £4.5 million towards building the southern part of the new construction which angry Broughton residents fear will endanger the lives of children living in the area.

Plans for the road show that it will run through the village and directly past the Broughton Church of England School.

One angry resident, Frank Platt, who is also on the concern for Broughton Group said: "I can't understand the councillors voting for it.

"It's totally premature because the Lancashire structure plan is being modified and we want to challenge it on the designation of Goosnargh as a strategic village.

"I don't think the councillors really understand the complexity of it all."

Pictured campaigning: From left; chairman of the Goosnargh Action Group, Andrew Baxendale, and group member Dougy George.