A TOWN'S green fields will pay the price for spending in other parts of Pendle, councillors claimed.

Acres of land in Nelson are to be made available to housing developers next year to raise much-needed cash to pay for future projects in the borough.

But local Labour councillors said other areas should share the burden and also find suitable sites for new homes.

Councillor Colin Waite, who represents the Clover Hill ward, said: "This side of the borough has paid the housing development price requested by the council. We're expected to carry on paying that very heavy price." But council leader Alan Davies, said the council could only sell land it owned that was available and there were no alternative sites elsewhere.

Liberal Councillor Tony Greaves, added: "If we want to invest money in things in Pendle rather than just running our services we have to have capital receipts."

The cash-strapped council wants to sell off suitable council-owned sites to developers to raise money for future capital programmes.

The policy committee agreed to include land at Highfield Avenue, Foulridge, Albert Mill, Barrowford, and next to the former Lancashire Landscapes site in Halifax Road, Nelson, in the 1998/99 land disposal list.

Councillors also agreed the future of a 28-acre site off Trent Road, Nelson, which has been divided into five parcels.

Sites behind St John's Primary School are to be earmarked for housing to make the area more attractive to builders. A small area of land off Bamford Street is to be put up for sale and an outline planning application submitted to the council by its property department.

A decision on land at the end of Bracewell Street was put on hold until Nelson councillors have chance to take a closer look at the proposals to build 24 housing association homes on it.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.