Development is on the minds of town residents as they prepare to gather for the first meeting of 2019 of their newly formed association.

Whitehall Residents' Association in Darwen was set up at the end of last year by Whitehall resident, Suzanne Halliwell, and aims to focus on keeping the area safe, clean and green.

And at this months' meeting, members are planning to discuss planning issues they are facing in the town, amidst fears that public open spaces are being swallowed up and lost to housing developers.

Mrs Halliwell said: "There's fears the sale of a public green space close to the Eastern Cemetery could be sold to a developer and we also had a developer round who wanted to build on a green space residents use to walk their dogs and play on.

"We're be discussing these issues and more at the meeting and encourage anyone who lives in the Whitehall area to come along."

The next meeting of the association is open to residents and businesses and will take place on Wednesday January 23 at 6.30pm at the Whitehall Hotel, off Ross Street.

More information can be found on the Whitehall Residents’ Association Facebook page.