RESIDENTS living cheek-by-jowl with a leading North Yorkshire independent school are campaigning to get the conservation area around their homes extended to protect it from future development.

The York-based group first got together to fight an application by Barratt Housing to develop flats on the Clifton Prep School site, which St Peter's School is hoping to sell to the developer.

The application was turned down following the group's protests and because the planned buildings were thought to be too tall.

But Barratt is understood to be working on a fresh application which will aim to meet concerns raised by councillors last time round.

During the process, residents discovered that the Clifton Green Conservation area boundary went right through the Clifton Prep School site.

The residents' proposals would see Clifton Dale, Grove View, Compton Street, Rosslyn Street and Love Lane included in the area.

They are to present a petition to Coun Alan Jones, ward councillor for Clifton, tomorrow.

Keith Knight, an expert in architectural conservation, who is advising the group, said: "It is widely accepted that when conservation areas were first designated, boundaries were too narrowly drawn, for instance omitting the full extent of rear plots often of historic and archaeological interest and which form part of the essential framework of an historic area."

He said that a look at old maps showed that Love Lane, next to Bur Dyke (now culverted) was the natural boundary, probably a field boundary from ancient times, possibly from the Anglo-Saxon settlement.

He said Love Lane was an historic footpath which was said to be the ancient way from the Forest of Galtres to the City of York.

"The current buildings in this area, mainly terraced and semi-detached houses, date from before the First World War and each road has a distinctive architectural character, fully consistent with conservation area status. Moreover, the open space at the rear of Clifton Prep School is an important component of the area."

Residents hope that an extension of the conservation area would protect the area from inappropriate development.

Cliff Carruthers, head of development control at the City of York Council, said that once the request had been received it would be considered by the north-west planning sub-committee and would then have to go out to consultation before coming back to councillors.

This process could take three months.

He said the council had not yet received another application from Barratt.

Barratt's last planning application was surrounded by controversy because it coincided with a deal by St Peter's to buy Queen Anne School from the council, paying £250,000 this year and the rest of the £4.8 million next year.

Updated: 11:29 Monday, July 09, 2001