A SURVEY to work out what housing demand in Clitheroe is likely to be in the future will get under way within the next two weeks.

Ribble Valley Council will be sending questionnaires to every house in the town as part of its borough-wide assessment of housing needs.

It wants to draw up a picture of what the demand for housing is likely to be, and what sort of housing is needed, before giving the nod to any more developments.

Until now, it has been the responsibility of developers to prove there is a need for the houses they want to build.

But councillors believe that the need for affordable housing has been ignored by developers cashing in and building luxury homes for people moving into the area.

Mike Kirby, Ribble Valley Council's forward planning manager, said: "We will use the survey to demonstrate to developers the need for affordable housing in the borough.

"It is a major issue and was highlighted recently when more than 500 people applied to live in 26 available council houses.

"Developers are showing an interest and we know of quite a few sites which are suitable for such projects.

"There would be no dip in design standards but they would be designed to suit first-time buyers and other groups currently being priced out of the market."

The average terrace house in the Ribble Valley now tops £100,000, compared with about £50,000 elsewhere in East Lancashire.

The rise has been blamed on demand for holiday homes and people moving into the area and being prepared to commute longer distances to work.

Mr Kirby added: "The survey will be used for the future, as we have questions about the validity of surveys done by developers. Often, residents don't want to give their details to a private company, but our survey can be done anonymously."

Clitheroe Town Council has given its backing to the survey, describing house prices as "a major issue."