EARBY residents are trying to overturn Pendle Council's decision to give itself planning permission to build houses on a field in the village.

Campaign group People of Earby Against Development of Farmers Field has applied for a revocation order which would mean councillors reconsidering their decision to grant outline planning permission for 50 houses on land at Bawhead Road last year.

Villagers, backed by MP Gordon Prentice, are fighting the scheme because it allows development on greenfield land, contrary to Government policy, and the council now has a ban on new housing until 2015 because of oversupply.

But Pendle Council's planning manager Neil Watson has turned down the residents' application - meaning campaigners would now have to take their fight to the High Court.

Town planning consultant Alison Rowland, acting on behalf of the campaign, said: "I was asked to look into the planning side of things and see if there was any way by which the planning permission could be scrapped.

"The only means is a revocation order by which the council can revoke planning permission if they consider it appropriate to do so.

"So far I've had a response back suggesting that the head of planning is not prepared to entertain the request and is happy the decision was correct. The residents want that decision to go to development control committee for a democratic decision."

Development control committee member Coun Frank Clifford is among the councillors backing Earby residents' demands.

He said: "The residents, along with myself, the Conservative group leader, Gordon Prentice and the former Conservative candidate Jane Ellison think that it is a flawed decision and there is reason for revocation.

"Neil Watson told me he had decided there is no need for it.

" It is not for officers behind closed doors to decide - it should be duly elected councillors."

Pendle MP Gordon Prentice, who has backed the residents' fight, said he hoped it was not too late for a change of heart.

But today Mr Watson stood by his decision

" And he said he had never come across a revocation order in 15 years of being a planning officer.