A PLANNING chief today agreed that people moving onto the housing estate next to Calderstones hospital have a right to know who their neighbours are.

Chief planning officer for Ribble Valley Council Stewart Bailey said they were "entitled to all the relevant information."

He spoke today after MP Nigel Evans had called for Home Secretary Jack Straw to deliver assurances over security at the medium secure unit in Whalley.

Bosses of Calderstones NHS Trust have refused to say what type of patients are treated in the unit -- citing patient confidentiality and the Data Protection Act. But yesterday it was revealed that people who have committed manslaughter, child sex offences, arson, rape and kidnap have been housed at the site. Mr Bailey said: "There is detailed planning consent for a new housing estate that is about to be implemented but I do agree though that anyone moving in should be entitled to all the relevant information to enable them to make their own decision about the site."

Mr Bailey and Mr Evans were joined by Lancashire's education boss Hazel Harding, who said she understood the concerns of parents.

Mrs Harding, a grandmother from Rossendale, is chairman of Lancashire County Council's education and cultural services committee and ultimately responsible for whether a primary school is built on the new estate. She said "I think any parent would have concerns about the safety of their child."

But she assured residents that every conceivable check would be carried out before any school was built.

She went on: "There is outline planning permission but we are not planning anything at this stage. That is a long way off. The houses have to be built and any decision would depend on the number of places available at other schools.

"As far as I am concerned we have a responsibility when it comes to any school to ensure that children are safe and that children in school do not come into contact with anybody who may do them harm. This one would be no different."

Mr Bailey, who was heavily involved in the planning of the manor house grounds style estate being built by Alfred McAlpine Homes, said the council was concerned about the medium secure unit, security arrangements and its proximity to the proposed houses at the time.

He said: "The security of the unit and the issue of whether the patients in the medium secure unit could gain access to the residential area was discussed.

"I don't think we were shielded from anything but probably the level of detail the residents would like is more than we were entitled to.

"There was nothing untoward in planning terms. There is a distinction between what we take into account in a proposal to build a secure unit near existing houses and one to build houses near an established institution of this type."

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said a site was reserved for a school as a condition of this development and that they would have to consider the appropriateness of the site before a school was built.

He added: "We are keeping the case under constant review."