APPLAUSE from dozens of residents met a decision by local planners this week to stop a controversial canal-side housing development in its tracks.

More than 40 people had written to object to developer Russel Armer's plans for homes on fields between Bolton-Le-Sands' Coastal Road and Lancaster canal.

Morecambe MP Geraldine Smith supported their concerns, including the risk of potential damage to the canal.

Other concerns included the loss of views across Morecambe Bay from the towpath, the strain on local facilities and dangerous' access to the development.

Local resident Dorothy Carruthers told Lancaster City planners: "The school is already full and we can't afford a classroom. There would be no room for more children if these houses were built."

She said it would mean more buses and cars on the already congested Coastal Road - and other residents also spoke out about traffic problems.

Since 1990, five applications for housing have been made for parts of the land, which could site 100 homes.

This latest attempt to win over planners failed when Lancaster City Council rejected the application for outline consent on Monday.

Members felt there was no need to release the green field site to meet the district's housing target, while there was insufficient detail to show that the canal structure would not be affected.

May 1, 2003 08:30