Ken Hind leader of RVBC and Longridge Councillor has called for residents in Longridge to inform the Ribble Valley Borough Council of their views before a decision to sell a piece of the Recreation Ground in Longridge to the Berry Lane Health Centre to expand the premises is made .

Ken Hind commented  "'The decision was to be considered at the Policy and Finance Committee of the Council but due to the fact that no offer had been made by the doctors the matter has been deferred to give time for wider public consultation."

''The Berry Lane Health Centre in the heart of Longridge wishes to acquire a piece of the recreation ground next to their building very close to the childrens play area to expand the medical centre."

''The extension will involve refurbishment and rebuilding of the children's play area.The recreation ground is regarded by the Longridge Community as purchased as a memorial to the 100 Longridge men who gave their lives or were injured in the First World War and as such only for recreational use of the community."

''The doctors have applied to RVBC to acquire the land and at first suggested RVBC should give it to them .The Community Committee of the Council met to consider the matter and decided that as the committee responsible for leisure they had no objection in principal but recommended a price of up to £150,000, to include provision of a new play area and referred the matter to the Policy and Finance Committee for final decision. In the meantime the doctors applied for planning consent for the extension of the medical centre which the Planning Committee granted as there were no planning objections to it .It is a strange quirk of planning Law that applications can be made by people who do not own the land subject of the application, but if they cannot buy it then obviously there will be no construction."

The Longridge Town Council have been consulted and opposed the planning application.

''The deeds show the land was purchased from William and Albert Sanderson both Longridge butchers by the Urban District Council of Longridge with a loan from the Ministry of Health in May 1926, 8 years after the war ended. It is clear from the deeds that the Ministry must have approved the loan. Following local government reorganisation in 1974 and the creation of the Ribble Valley Borough Council the recreation ground was passed to RVBC .Other parts of the land were subject to a land swap between the Co-op and the Urban District Council in 1973 . Attempts in the past by Booths supermarket and others to build upon it have been rejected following strong opposition from Longridge residents and the Longridge Town Council."

''As the Chairman of the Policy and Finance Committee which will be the final decision makers in this matter, I am anxious to hear from Longridge residents on this matter. In the public participation section of the Committee proceedings residents will be able to address the committee when the issue comes before the committee."

''As far as we are aware the medical centre is privately owned by the doctors and run as a business, so we will be passing the land to private citizens, not to the NHS."

''There is a fine balance to be drawn here between respect for the sacrifice of Longridge residents in World War 1 , the need to provide a proper children's play area and expanding the health provision for the increasing population of Longridge."

''As Leader of the Council and 2 of my Longridge colleagues are chairmen of major Council committees, it is with regret that we have not been contacted by representatives of the Health Centre, .we could have advised that there would be strong feelings about this matter .However in the interests of the people of Longridge our door is still open to the doctors if they also wish to give us their point of view."

''I understand that there has been a degree of urgency hence the planning application. The Berry Lane Health Centre has been allocated funding to help build the extension by the local Clinical Commissioning Group of the NHS.which has to be taken up by the 31st March, 2018."

''One alternative open to the community is for the sale to go, through on condition a new children's' play area is provided from the sale proceeds, which will be known as the Longridge Comrades of the Great War Memorial play area, and recognised by a plaque placed prominently to remind everyone of the sacrifice made by Longridge men 100 years ago. A covenant can also be attached to the sale that the building is only to be used for medical treatment so in the future cannot be sold to be used as commercial premises. This solution will extend the health care of Longridge residents , improve the childrens play area and respect the soldiers of World War 1. We will listen to the public's views."