A 40-PAGE document drawn up by people opposing a plan for more than 200 homes to be built in Burnley has been handed to the borough council.

Campaigners have delivered the report on why they think the proposed development in Hollins Cross Farm should be rejected.

The protest comes as up to 3,800 new homes could be built in Burnley and Padiham over the next 16 years through the borough’s Local Plan process.

The reasons for opposing the plans include disruption to water courses, problems with building over abandoned coal mines, the impact on wildlife such as barn and long eared owls, concerns over lack of infrastructure in the area and traffic management.

Martyn Bell, 59, one of the campaigners who co-wrote the report, said residents of Fairways Drive, Wilkie Avenue and the surrounding areas were not made aware of the plans.

He said: “There are so many reasons for not going ahead with the houses.

“The land absorbs a lot of the rain water that falls, it’s very marshy.

“If all that was tarmacked over and built on, the water would just run down into the town centre and that would be disastrous.

“There’s also the problem with cars, when these houses and the other houses are built there could be an extra 12,000 people and 6,000 cars in Burnley.

“How will the roads cope? There’s nothing to say that schools will be built as a result of these houses either.

“The people feel they were not informed properly, the information was put on the website, but there wasn’t any letters sent to people’s houses.”

More than 100 people were said to have attended a public consultation meeting at Parkside Methodist Church in Cog Lane after it emerged the Hollins Cross site would be considered for residential development.

The group has also set up a website to reach out to more people in Burnley.

Mr Bell said: “I hope the council can look at this document properly as we have serious concerns over the site.”

A Burnley Council spokesman said: “The council has received hundreds of responses as part of the latest consultation on the draft Local Plan.

“They raise relevant planning concerns and all comments, concerns and suggestions made will be fully and properly considered before the final draft of the plan is prepared in December 2016.

“This process is already underway.

“This will be published for representations over a six-week period starting in January 2017.

“These final representations will then be considered by an independent Inspector appointed by the secretary of state.

“They will conduct an ‘examination’ of the Plan to consider whether it is ‘sound’ and legally compliant.”