A controversial application to create a caravan park in Langho has since been rejected
A disputed application was placed to create a caravan site on land behind the Petre Arms in Langho, a small rural village in the Ribble Valley in Lancashire. After avid campaigning against the park by residents, councillors have given the site the red light.
The application called for 21 caravans, an outdoor play area, and a storage unit that would take up a majority of the already small land.
The development of the park was turned down by members of the Ribble Valley Borough Council on the grounds of the adverse impact it would have on the rural village.
On account of the rurality of the village, there would be no electricity, gas, or water supplied and therefore, generators would have to be used on the land. The noise, coupled with the odour, would emanate towards the school, community centre, church, and surrounding hotels.
Members also turned down the application on the grounds of traffic safety issues. Cars towing caravans would not have a clear view of traffic exiting the roundabout on the A59 and travelling down Whalley Road which is close to a bend.
The site, which could only accommodate 50 people, would bring with it an increase in the number of vehicles in an area that isn’t equipped to deal with too much confusion. These concerns raised by the members influenced the decision in the end.
Councillor Ged Mirfin said, in regards to the ultimate decision: “This decision was made after a long and detailed debate and it was certainly the right outcome for Langho for a host of reasons including the impact a development of this nature would have on residents, businesses, and the community.”
The final decision was made at a councillors meeting attended by the general public in the public gallery where several who had objected to the scheme watched on.
What was claimed to have been a recreational site was argued against by these objectors who said that they had evidence that the site was really a permanent/semi permanent site which violated the application.
The infringement upon the small community was entirely too much and the application was thrown out.
