THE chairman of Lancashire County Council has told Hyndburn Council to object to neighbouring Blackburn with Darwen borough’s Local Plan over its designation of 94 acres of countryside for employment use.

The commercial development of the ‘green belt’ land near the M65’s junction five has proved highly controversial with local residents.

Campaigner believe radioactive waste was dumped down old mineshafts on the land between Belthorn and Guide in the 1950s.

Despite their fears, Blackburn with Darwen Council included the green belt site in its draft local plan as ideal for commercial and job-creating development.

Now Hyndburn Council’s Conservative group deputy leader Cllr Peter Britcliffe - also chairman of the county authority - has urged the district's full council meeting to object to its neighbour’s planning blueprint until 2037

He told Thursday night's meeting as it discussed its own Local Plan that any development will have a damaging impact on Belthorn just across the border in Hyndburn.

Cllr Britcliffe said: “I am concerned about Blackburn's local plan.

"They want to develop land around Belthorn.

"This will destroy green belt land.

"We have little enough green belt as it is.

"Hyndburn Council should object to this in the strongest possible terms."