Residents have lined a main road as part of a national day of protest against development on green belt land.
Supporters of Lapwing Fields near Bolton-le-Sands and Slyne-with-Hest gathered at a 'Community Love Our Green Belt Event' on the A6 on Saturday.
Campaigners, many of whom were dressed in green, said the day was to highlight that green fields near the A6 should not be targeted for housing development.
The protest was part of a nationwide day of action across the UK, with rural communities out in force around the country to protest against building on green belt land.
Photo: Lesley Bryan
Saturday's protest came after plans to build up to 200 homes in fields between Bolton-le-Sands and Slyne-with-Hest were rejected by Lancaster City Council in February.
Council officers had recommended that the controversial outline application on land west of the A6 Slyne Road, Bolton-le-Sands, be allowed to go ahead, labelling it 'grey belt' land.
But a majority of the committee of councillors disagreed, voting 10 to three to refuse planning permission, with two abstaining, at a packed meeting at Morecambe Town Hall attended by many local campaigners.
Prior to the meeting, campaigners said the development would result in urban sprawl within the green belt and the over population of the local area, and the merging of Bolton-le-Sands and Slyne to create a 'Bolton-le-Slyne'.
The applicant can appeal the decision.
Lesley Bryan, from the Friends of Lapwing Fields, posted on the Greenbelt Action Group (Slyne-with-Hest and Bolton-le-Sands) to say:
"What a FANTASTIC turn out we got!!’
"Very proud of our communities, young and old all united in their love for our beautiful GREEN BELT.
"A BIG THANK YOU for all that showed up this morning."
Photo: Lisa Hignett
David Morris, former Conservative MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, was among those who attended.
Mr Morris, said: "We demonstrated for nearly an hour and the beeps of support from the wider community in the area were constant.
"It was good to support the community of Hest Bank against the proposed building of 200 homes on the Lapwings field.
"Many thanks to Lesley and the Lapwings Community group for organising today’s event."
David Morris at the Community Love our Greenbelt Event. Photo: David Morris
Mr Morris also criticised "Labour's ridiculous policy of reclassifying green belt into grey belt".
The government has brought in new rules requiring councils to prioritise building on brownfield sites but also low quality green belt areas, dubbed 'grey belt'.
Published in July 2024, the Government’s draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) proposed designating some areas of the green belt as ‘grey belt’ land if they do not sufficiently meet the five defined green belt purposes (such as reducing urban sprawl and preserving the character of historic towns) to help with plans to build 1.5m new homes.
County Councillor Russell Walsh, Reform UK councillor for Morecambe North, was also at Saturday's protest.
He said: "We were speaking out against the destruction of much needed green belt that is being re classified as grey, another aspect to this is as they break the application down into less than 200 houses at a time, then there is no obligation to provide or add to services.
"It's deeply flawed and this Labour government's approach is nothing more than shambolic. This action is being fought across the country, and rightly so.
"It was great to see so many people speaking out against this proposal and we all hope that the appeal is refused."
Lizzi Collinge, Labour MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, who met with residents on Saturday, said: "It was great to have a chat with people from Slyne and Bolton-le-Sands about their concerns.
Lizzi Collinge, Labour MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, pictured at Saturday's event. Pictured next to her is County Councillor Russell Walsh, Reform UK county councillor for Morecambe North. Photo: Lisa Hignett
"I wanted the chance to listen to and understand what their worries are.
"It is entirely understandable that people have concerns about the way development happens and how we meet the housing crisis whilst protecting agricultural land. Worries about changing the character of villages seemed to be at the forefront of people's minds.
"And it's important that we do tackle the housing crisis, with supply being the biggest influence on the high prices of houses, with the inevitable impact on the ability of people to own their own home or rent affordably.
"Villages in particular are losing young people and rural schools are put at risk by families unable to afford to live locally. This means that homes do need to be built across the country.
"Whilst I don't intervene in individual planning applications, I have met constituents a number of times to make sure they are able to discuss how national policy plays out locally and to make sure their voices are heard in Westminster.”
Read more: LISTEN: Up to 200 homes between Slyne and Bolton-le-Sands refused - Beyond Radio
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