HOUSING developments that would ‘alter the very character of Gisburn’ are still hanging over the village months after being submitted to the borough council.

Applicants Gisburn Park Estates Ltd sent in the plans to Ribble Valley Borough Council in February for 16 houses at the Strawberry Fields site off Main Road as two applications.

The developments would be built alongside 21 other houses that the applicant was given permission for in October 2012.

The original application, submitted in May last year, for 37 was revised down on the advice of council officers to 21 after they considered the plans to be too large.

John Falshaw, chairman of Gisburn Parish Council, said: “Many of the residents in the village were not opposed to the application for 21 houses but these further two plans bring the number back up to 37 which is far too high.

“This whole thing has been going on for far too long and it needs to be sorted out quickly because it’s not a good situation for Gisburn to be in.”

Coun Richard Sherras, who represents Gisburn on Ribble Valley Borough Council, said: “The whole thing has been a bit of a saga throughout but the Ribble Valley planning committee will have to make a judgement.

There is a lot of opposition and the parish council has unanimously objected to them.”