A COMMUNITY leader is calling for the council to provide Rishton’s ‘forgotten children’ with a place to go.

Plans for 75 houses to be built on the former Broadloom site were given the go ahead by Hyndburn Council and according to Jeffery Stinson the £30,000 pledged by the developers should be used to build a ‘decent’ park.

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Now Mr Stinson, of the Rishton Residents’ Association, has started an online petition with more than 650 people supporting his decision.

He said: “The kids around here have nowhere to go and the council needs to acknowledge that.

“There’s a lot of money there waiting to be spent and the council are just sitting on it.”

Gleeson Homes had its plans approved by the borough council to build 11 two-bedroom homes, 56 three-bedroom semi-detached and eight four-bedroomed semi and detached properties.

The £30,000 was for ‘the provision or improvement of public open space’.

Mr Stinson said: “I’ve heard rumours of children walking up and down the streets with nothing to do.

“I am worried that this money will be used for something that won’t be as valuable as investing in the time and memories for these children.

“There is a shell of a park at the moment but it’s basically just a cage.

“The equipment was taken off there 15 years ago and has never been replaced these children have been forgotten about and the only option they have is to hang on street corners and it’s not acceptable.”

Cllr Jeff Scales said that concerns over anti-social behaviour is the main reason for avoiding the idea.

He said: “In an ideal world we would love to do it but although quite a few residents want this park there’s also quite a few people that don’t.

“The area is very isolated and if a park was going to get the go ahead then there would be concerns over anti social behaviour.”

and that is going to use up valuable resources.

“With the cuts to policing and everything else that would leave us in a dreadful dilemma.”