PLANNING permission given 14 months ago for a new housing development in Cowling is now haunting councillors.

In February last year, Craven District Council's planning committee gave officers delegated authority to approve an application for 25 mainly three-storey houses on the former Walter Briggs garage site in Colne Road.

Permission was subject to a financial contribution from the developers, Skipton Properties, towards Cowling recreational ground, along with agreement on samples of building materials and the issue of a design notice.

But legal wrangles meant the design notice was never issued and permission was in theory only, as no legal agreements were signed.

However, work on the buildings began and residents have complained that houses were not to specification. Some of the homes with rear two-storey elevations had become three-storey, a group of others were higher than agreed and a large area of banking beneath Pinnacle View had been excavated.

This week the amended application was brought back to committee, with officers recommending approval.

Ward representative Coun John Alderson said the site looked "horrendous" and the view from nearby homes was of "a wall with windows and roofs".

He added he was very concerned the excavated area could result in a landslip in the future.

Coun Ken Hart said he would have recommended refusal at the first application had he known that the bank was going to be taken out and known what building materials were going to be used.

"The existing buildings are built of coursed stone while these are built of a mixture of rubble and random stone," he observed.

Coun Stephen Butcher added that the council was in a difficult position and was in "fear that should the builder go to appeal and we lose, we will have to pay."

Coun Paul English suggested that the only "grip" the council still had on the development was the group of houses numbered 20 to 25 which were higher than specified.

"If we give in here, future developers will see this weakness. We should make them build these as we agreed," he said.

The committee voted to consider refusal of the application, but deferred a final decision until enforcement implications had been investigated.

After the meeting, Skipton Properties' managing director Brian Verity said that with more than 100 jobs at stake, the firm had proceeded with the development in the belief that the paperwork would be finalised. It was also pressing ahead with money for the play area through a statutory declaration.

Mr Verity admitted that some modifications to the original drawings had to been made, but added the houses were in essence the same as originally proposed, with some alterations to floor and roof levels.

He added the council's concerns on materials did not stand up to scrutiny. "They have raised the issue of the stone used in the street facing areas. Not only is this the stone itemised at the outset, it is in fact the same stone used in the garage buildings previously on the site."

And he concluded: "We will continue to work with the planners towards a satisfactory outcome for the provision of quality housing in Cowling."