USING empty homes is the key to saving green sites across Pendle, a public meeting was told.

Residents who are concerned about houses lying empty while proposals are being considered to earmark fields for new estates gathered at Brierfield Community Centre last night.

Speakers from Friends of the Earth and the Empty Homes Agency, a national "green" organisation, told the audience the way to protect the countryside was to re-use existing resources rather than ploughing up fields and expanding the urban area.

Helen Blyth, a support worker with Community Action Network, a consortium of private, public and voluntary groups in Pendle aimed at raising awareness of the environment, said: "It is very important that buildings aren't lying wasted and unused and are put to good use while preventing green fields from being eaten up by developers."

Trevor Mitton, Pendle Council's urban renewal manager, outlined the authority's empty homes strategy.

Campaign groups fighting proposed housing developments across Pendle say using empty houses would go at least some way towards meeting the Government target of 1,000 new homes in Pendle between 2001 and 2006.

The Empty Homes Agency said there are 750,000 empty properties across England or the equivalent to seven houses for every homeless family.

The meeting was organised by Community Action Network ahead of North West Week of Action on Empty Homes between August 18-24.

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