Members of the Hartford Village Trust are calling on residents who share their views to tell local councillors before next Monday's parish council meeting.

"This is clearly going to go to a public inquiry," said the trust's chairman Dick Finnis.

"My worry is that if the parish council are not opposing the development, it's going to influence the final arbiter.

"We'll just have to wait and see what the parish council does on the ninth. I hope it reconsiders."

Mr Finnis outlined the trust's position in a letter sent to most of the 2,000 homes in the village over the weekend.

It accused the parish council of supporting plans to build at least 300 houses at Grange Farm in the village centre - subject to certain conditions.

But council chairman Shirley Harris denied that.

She said the council were against the scheme, but admitted it would probably go ahead.

"I think that is probably the case," she said.

"It is our view that it's going to happen. I think we've got to be realistic.

"If it goes through we want to try and influence what comes out of it. The way to proceed is to get gains for the village if the development goes ahead.

"But we as a parish council have fought against the development of any piece of land within the village boundary.

"To say we are supporters is actually wrong. We are certainly objecting to this."

Mr Finnis' letter marks the latest in a concerted effort to influence the attitude of the parish council to one of the most contentious policies in Vale Royal's local plan.

In 1996 the Hartford Village Trust conducted a poll, with half the village responding - and 95% of those people opposing the plans for Grange Farm.

The next stage of the battle will begin on September 8 when the public inquiry into the latest version of the local plan gets underway.

The latest version of the local plan still include the proposals for Grange Farm - despite hundreds of objections.

But it did state that any developer who gets permission to build there will have to provide playing fields.

As objectors, the parish council will get the chance to put their arguments to the government inspector conducting the inquiry.

Mrs Harris said there was nothing the council could do until then.

"If somebody could tell me this wasn't going to happen on that site I would be over the moon," she said.

"I would like to still think there's a chance for that in view of the democratic nature of this country. I think we would always have to look on the bright side."

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