WILL Straw, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Rossendale, has written an open letter to the owners of a former bowling green asking them to return the site to the community.

It comes after a second unsuccessful bid by developers Crystal Property and Land to build houses on the land at Newchurch Bowling Green, the most recent of which received 116 objections following concerns around the loss of open space and traffic safety.

Mr Straw said in his letter: “The decision by Crystal Property and Land to fence off the site at the start of the 2011 season, send in bulldozers to destroy the playing surface, and prevent the church using the car park showed a major lack of judgment.

“Subsequent letters from Crystal Property and Land, which I have seen, threatening to sell off the site to travellers used provocative language intended to encourage compliance by the community.

“It is absolutely right that Rossendale Borough Council has now rejected your planning application for what is a wholly unsuitable housing development.”

He added: “I hope very much that following this decision you will now work with the local community to return the bowling green to its former glory and reopen the car park.”