Plans for 58 homes on land at the bottom of a small residential street have been met with outrage.

Residents in Hawthorne Place, Clitheroe, have spoken about their concerns over the proposed development, which they say will cause traffic, road safety and infrastructure problems in the town.

Persimmon Homes lodged the application on December 17 to build a mix of two, three, four and five-bedroomed terrace, semi-detached and detached properties with Ribble Valley Council.

Clitheroe Residents Action Group (CRAG), a group that monitors infrastructure issues caused by the building of new homes in the town, has now urged residents to formally object, after receiving numerous complaints about the plans.

A CRAG spokesperson said: “We’re aiming to get 1,000 letters of objection to the council by January 7.

“We’re objecting on the grounds of highway safety, not just on Hawthorne Place but also at the junction onto Waddington Road which will also bear the brunt of all the traffic coming from the huge housing development near the cemetery on Waddington Road.

“Enough is enough for Clitheroe and we all need to try our best to stop our lovely market town becoming one huge over-priced housing estate.”

Persimmon was also criticised by residents for choosing a date that was ‘conveniently close to Christmas’, to lodge the application, when council offices were closed and people would be ‘too busy’ to have seen the notices.

John Long, of Hawthorne Place said: “The planning notice was only placed at the end of the road where many residents will not have seen it, also with it being Christmas, the council offices have been closed and people are busy so may not have checked the planning website.

“People in the area can’t believe what Persimmon are proposing.

“The development of more houses will cause huge problems regarding traffic. The junction is already gridlocked at peak times with cars trying to get on and off Waddington Road.

“This in conjunction with the 300 houses being built near the cemetery, with the additional traffic generated from those putting even more pressure on Waddington Road.

“It’s painful at the best of times.”

Mr Long said the local infrastructure was also a concern.

He said: “What about new schools, doctors and dentists? Surely without robust plans we can’t support more developments.”

Former leader of Ribble Valley Council, councillor Ken Hind said: “Please take time to object. Clitheroe is over-developed, with the infrastructure struggling to catch up.”