CONCERNS have been raised over a proposed caravan site on the outskirts of a Ribble Valley village.

The application for a 21-pitch touring caravan site on land to the rear of the Petre Arms in Whalley Road, Langho, has been submitted to the borough council.

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Applicant Jack Lowther, who has owned the land for eight years, is also seeking permission for an outdoor play area and the construction of a storage building with a lean-to facilities block.

However, the project has been met with concern from residents, which centre on access to the site and the increased traffic in the area.

An action group is being formed by people most concerned about the plan and will campaign against the application being given approval later this year.

Mr Lowther said that he could not envisage any problems concerning the access to the site and said that Whalley Road would be able to cope with the traffic.

He also refuted claims that the land would be used as a gypsy site and insisted that the project was for touring caravans only.

Councillor Ged Mirfin, who represents residents in nearby Billington on Ribble Valley Borough Council, said: “There is a lot of concern in the area about the proposed caravan site and also the potential access to it.

“I park my car there before church and I know exactly what the road is like.

“I understand the concerns that the residents have and I will await the report from the statutory consultees including Lancashire Highway to see what conclusions are reached.

“It would be fair to say that the idea of an action group is gaining momentum in the area.”

In a letter to the council’s planning department, a spokesman for Mr Lowther said: “The applicant will be investing a considerable amount of capital in the creation of the caravan development.

“We consider the application site to be in a very sustainable location, which will benefit the local economy by the residents of the caravan park spending money in local shops, pubs and restaurants.

“The play area will be kept tidy at all times with the grass mown on a regular basis so as to provide an attractive facility to the guests of the caravan site and improve the quality of tourism in the local area.

“The existing access to the site from Whalley Road will be utilised to access the proposed caravan site.

“This access is already considered safe and adequate as the access into the site is adjacent to the church and community centre and there are already large numbers of vehicles that attend the church and community centre on a regular basis.

“Therefore the access road will be sufficient in accommodating the number of caravan and motor homes that are proposed.”