HIGHCLIFFE residents who filed hundreds of objections, canvassed thousands of signatures on a protest petition and packed the public gallery of an appeal hearing last month have failed to stop plans for a single block of 55 sheltered flats overlooking the village recreation ground.

Government planning inspector Colin Ball, who chaired the two-day public inquiry in July, has upheld an appeal by sheltered housing developer McCarthy& Stone for permission to build the four-storey retirement complex on the site of four homes in Wortley Road.

The decision has left objectors shocked and dismayed.

"We really thought we could win this one. It is so disappointing," said Steve White, press officer for the Highcliffe Residents Association which mounted a major campaign to stop the controversial development.

Chairman of Planning, Cllr David Jones said: "For all its talk, this shows quite clearly the government isn't interested in what local people think.

"This is John Prescott's fault, not the council's."

Council and residents' arguments over the scale of the building and its impact on the area were overruled by the Inspector who said the proposals met latest government advice for maximising land use.

He concluded: "I recognise the proposal is controversial and that many local residents are concerned... However I find that the building has been carefully designed to make the best use of the site, to fit into its surroundings and limit impact on neighbours."

First published: August 11, 2005