BUS lanes would mean residents of Whalley Road, Clayton-le-Moors, would never be able to sell a house again, a Clayton councillor has warned.
Councillor Janet Storey made the claim during a heated full council debate about Lancashire County Council’s Pennine Reach rapid transport scheme.
The proposals include bus lanes southbound between Lynwood Avenue and Sparth Road, northbound between Adelaide Street and the Hare and Hounds pub, a bus gate at the Sparth Road junction and the relocation of bus stops.
The objections were formally laid out to LCC in writing by Hyndburn Council leader Peter Britcliffe last month.
At the meeting Labour members accused the ruling Tory group of criticising the scheme for election purposes and slammed members for standing outside consultation meetings bearing placards, rather than getting involved.
But Altham councillor Susan Haworth replied: "I’ve been to five or six public meetings and keep raising my opinion, but nobody listens."
Councillor Storey added: "The people being affected are those who will not be able to park outside their houses.
"If you cannot park outside your house people will never sell a house on Whalley Road."
In response to Councillor Britcliffe’s letter, county council leader Hazel Harding pointed out that the scheme retained as many on-street parking spaces as possible and claimed replacement spaces at Wilson’s playing fields and elsewhere would make up for the lost spaces.
She added: "Improvements to bus journey times and reliability on this stretch of Whalley Road are the key to achieving a viable and successful scheme."
