Fight over new homes in Goosnargh and Whittingham shows no signs of abating

At least 350 residents from Goosnargh and Whittingham protested against the housing proposals which they say are inundating their area.

Organiser of protest group Goosnargh and Whittingham Against Overdevelopment, Michelle Woodburn, said: “The focus is really on the amount of applications that have gone in for our small parish of Whittingham.

“We have between 700 and 750 homes. The number of applications are more than 2,000 just for this parish of Goosnargh and Whittingham. There’s no common sense in building anything like that number in a small village.

“There’s no jobs in this area. The bus service is rubbish, the schools are full.

“Where are all these people going to go to work or get to school?

“It’s just crazy, madness.

“The fields that are being used for applications are all used for agriculture and have been for years.

“Why not have solar panels for farms? Surely that would help the environment and the economy.

“It’s all down to money basically.”

MP for Preston North and Wyre Ben Wallace, who is backing the protesters, has appealed to the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government James Brokenshire MP to overturn a number of developments to which Preston City Council has given the green light.

The city council cannot show that it has a five year housing supply which means it is under pressure to wave through development applications that it might not otherwise.

At least three local parish councils in North Preston have also declared “no confidence” in Preston City Council’s planning department over the fall out as unpopular applications are passed.