VILLAGERS are mobilising against plans to advertise a new development in Hartford.

Redrow Homes has applied to put up an advertising board and four flag poles at Grange Farm land, off Chester Road.

The boards would be three metres off the ground, three metres high and three metres wide.

They are to advertise the controversial development of 300 homes at Grange Farm, which were rejected by Cheshire West and Chester Council but approved by Secretary of State Eric Pickles MP at appeal.

Clr Phil Herbert, vice chairman of Hartford Parish Council, has written in to Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) with his objections to the advertising, which refer to the 1946 Albemarle bomber crash site and the need for further assessment before the land is disturbed.

“We’re still waiting for a licence from the Ministry of Defence,” he said.

“They’d already put three posts up to put up the boards and I got them to take them down and remove them straightaway – you can’t dig there because there’s the possibility of live ammunition lying around.”

He also said that the advertising would be detrimental to the Hartford conservation area.

Residents are being urged to contact Hartford CWAC councillor Herbert Manley to get the application ‘called in’ which means it would be discussed by the planning committee.

Clr Phil Herbert said: “We want to make sure it’s called in because if it isn’t then planning officers will just make the decision without it being called in to committee.

“If it goes to committee we can go along and state our case.

“Everyone’s still really hurt by the development being allowed and this is adding insult to injury by putting big advertising boards up in a conservation area.

“There are no houses there yet anyway so all it’s doing is advertising Redrow.”