A PETITION aimed at stopping plans to build luxury homes on the former Lea Bank secondary school site in Cloughfold received support from shoppers at Rawtenstall market.

Conservationists are opposed to plans by developers, The Hurstwood Group, to bulldoze the school and build £300,000-plus executive homes on the historic site.

About 300 Saturday shoppers signed the petition which will be presented to Rossendale Council when they meet on June 12 to discuss the application.

Before that the action group are planning an open meeting at Rossendale United Football Club, Dark Lane.

They have the support of the Labour and Conservative Parliamentary election candidates Janet Anderson and George Lee.

The group will ask the council to throw out any house-building proposals for the site and urge them to back their scheme to create a tourist and environmental centre at Lea Bank.

Group chairman Rebecca Lawlor, said she was heartened by the level of support and that the reaction to the petition at Rawtenstall market had been brilliant.

After the secondary school closed, Lea Bank was taken over by Accrington and Rossendale College which used it as a teaching centre until last September, when the college moved out to save cash. Rebecca said: "We want it to be used as a nature reserve with an educational wildlife centre.

"We believe European money could be accessed to make that a real possibility."

Objectors believe 80 mature trees would be lost and birds, amphibians and butterflies would lose their habitat.

Bats occupy the building and their roosts are protected under European legislation.

Rebecca said that for the housing project to go ahead another bat roost would have to be provided within 500 yards.

John Ashworth, chairman of the Hurstwood Group which is hoping to develop the site, has said they were planning to demolish the old school building because it is too big for conversion.

Other buildings on the site, the coach house and the lodge, would be converted but the school was just too big.

An outline plan to build 14 luxury detached houses of three, four and five bedrooms with landscaping has been submitted with an area of open woodland which would remain for public use.