PLANS for 125 homes in Whalley could be knocked back by councillors next week.

Gary Hoerty Associates submitted the application on behalf of V H Land Partnerships Limited in May, for the housing development on land off Wiswell Lane in Whalley.

The application is set to be decided by Ribble Valley’s Planning Committee on Thursday and officers have recommended that it should be rejected.

More than 39 letters of objection were received about the plan with concerns over increased traffic, overdevelopment in Whalley, the scheme altering the character of Wiswell Lane, as well as schools and services being over-subscribed.

Meanwhile, Whalley Parish Council and Wiswell Parish Council also lodged their objections to the scheme.

Cllr Ged Murfin, who represents the Whalley ward, held a meeting at Old Whalley Grammar School in June and more than 60 people attended to voice their opinions on the scheme.

Cllr Murfin said: “I think the site is unsustainable as it is in an isolated location and would result in a huge increase in traffic which is almost impossible to deal with and that is why I support the officer's recommendation to refuse it.

“You can see that the highways teams from Lancashire County Council have just repaired Whalley New Road through Billington for the third time and if they have more homes it will just make the problem worse.

“Whalley primary schools are already up to maximum and some people are being turned away.

“There is a lot of pressure on primary schools and this is as a result of house-building.

“But there could be a problem with the secondary school places too.”

In the planning statement, provided by Gary Hoerty Associates, the application would include a mixture of two, three and four bedroom homes and it will create an ‘attractive residential development complementing the surrounding area’.

The director of economic development and planning recommended it for refusal as it ‘would lead to the creation of new residential dwellings in the defined open countryside’ and would be ‘without sufficient justification that meets a current identified and evidenced outstanding need’.