DEVELOPERS are to be banned from building luxury homes in the Ribble Valley as council chiefs bid to control spiralling property prices, which are forcing people to leave the area.

Councillors will tonight be asked to approve the plan, after being told that more than 1,400 more homes will have been built in the rural borough by 2006 than originally planned.

With property prices spiralling across the borough, the council now wants developers to concentrate on building 'affordable' housing which meets local demand -- primarily from young people looking to buy their first home within the community they have grown up in.

If given approval by councillors, officers will amend the borough's Local Plan -- the document which sets out what land can be used for and within what constraints -- so that residential development in Whalley, Longridge, Clitheroe, Wilpshire and Billington will only be permitted if it is affordable.

They hope to see 100 such homes built by 2006. It adds that when the last plan was drawn up to cover the period 1991 to 2006, 2,400 new homes were expected to be built. So far, 3,038 have been built, with planning permission for a further 788 granted.

Planning officer Michael Kirby said: "It is clear that we need to introduce a means of ensuring the supply of housing being brought forward is controlled.

"The policies we are proposing will stop new permission being granted unless special justification exists."

He added: "A study in 2002 showed there is a considerable group of people who are unable to compete in the local housing market.

"In fact, we would need 215 such homes a year to meet the demand, which is not possible because of limited site availability.

"But a Housing Forum set up with developers, social landlords and community groups has recognised the need for this type of development."

Until now, development of all residential types has been allowed on non-green belt land in Wilpshire, Clitheroe, Billington and Longridge.

The new plan would mean a ban on luxury housing in favour of affordable accommodation in those villages, as well as Mellor Brook, Read, Simonstone Bolton-by-Bowland, Copster Green, Chatburn, Downham, Gisburn, Langho, Mellor, Pendleton, Ribchester, Sabden, Sawley and West Bradford.

At the same time, rules on the conversion of barns and farm property into homes are also to be controlled. Conversions will only be permitted as long as they do not interfere with the running of a farm, or only as part of a farm business plan.

Concerns have been expressed in the Ribble Valley for more than two years about youngsters being forced out as prices rise. This is mainly due to people moving into the Valley and being prepared to commute to work in neighbouring towns and Manchester.

New figures from the Land Registry, which records all property sales, reveals that the average detached house in the Ribble Valley sells for £253,469, up from £215,669 12 months ago.