SKIPTON'S Broughton Road residents who recently won the battle against green land development off Marton Street, learned on Monday that they had lost the war.

Craven District Council planners voted in favour of building 31 houses and flats on the private land and have given officers authority to conditionally approve the scheme.

The land is designated for housing on the Local Plan.

Now residents fear the additional low-cost housing will attract the wrong type of people.

They also voiced their concerns through representations to the council, saying the scheme would lead to overcrowding, loss of privacy and noise disturbance.

"They may as well build a dome over the site with a sign saying 'welcome to the sanitarium; drive through at your own peril'," said residents' spokesman Margaret Hick.

At a previous meeting, the planning committee rejected an application for 33 houses because developers Southdale Homes had not made any provision for recreational space.

This time, however, the application was for two less houses with the additional space going towards a play area. Officers are to approach the developers with a view to creating a recreation area covering 0.15 hectares.

The developers have also said they will donate £3,000 towards the installation of flashing school crossing lights.

But the ward representative, Coun Paul English, remained unconvinced that the planned low-cost homes were needed.

"Twenty per cent of the houses in that area are low cost and here is a proposal for more," he said.

However, other members felt they could not refuse the plans because the developers had allocated space for a recreational area.

Coun John Sayer said that if the development went ahead more open space be sought. "I would be happier if there was more play area," he said.

Coun Steve Place suggested the area be made large enough for ball games rather than just tiddlywinks.

After the meeting, Mrs Hicks said she felt it futile to argue any further. "We have resigned ourselves to the fact that they are going to be built but it is going to make the area worse."