A plan for a 183-home estate on green land near Westhoughton has been the subject of nearly 1,000 objections.
Later this week, Bolton Council’s planning committee will deliberate on Bellway Homes’ proposals to build the estate on land at Bowlands Hey, to the west of Westhoughton. A range of semi-detached, detached and terraced houses are planned.
If approved, Bellway will build 58 four-bed, 94 three-bed, 33 two-bed and four single-bedroomed properties. The layout follows a typical housing estate form focused around a series of cul-de-sacs and link roads. The plans are a third phase of development for the area, extending housing beyond Dobb Brow Road and the Dobb Brow settlement on land known as Bowlands Hey.
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The development will be accessed via the Bellways residential development currently under construction, which itself is accessed from The Fairways. A Bolton planning officer report to members of the committee gave details of the site.
It said: “The application site covers an area of approximately 7.85 hectares and comprises open undulating fields divided by hedgerows and some trees. The boundaries of the site are dominated by trees and hedgerows.
"Forming the northern boundary of the site is a railway line. To the east is the Phase 4 site, currently open fields and Westhoughton Golf Club.
“To the south is Dobb Brow settlement and further open fields. There is one pond within the site which is sited in the southern section and will be retained as part of the open space provision.” 26 letters of objection were received by the council raising concerns about ‘loss of green space’, that ‘large ecological area and hedgerows will be permanently destroyed. and ‘loss of habitat’ for flora and fauna.
There were also many concerns about impact on traffic and congestion, particularly at peak times, including the impact on the Fairways junction and Cricketers Way. An online petition on change.org with the title ‘Reject Bellway’s Phase 3 planning application for Bowlands Hey’ currently has 905 signatures.
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An extract from that petition said: “Westhoughton has become a wild west for property developers to build and make big money without a care for the community that they are impacting. “The past few years feels like a constant land grab, that Bolton Council are allowing to happen at the expense of our precious countryside.”
Westhoughton Town Council raised objection to the proposal due to the detrimental impact on residents, the loss of wildlife, the lack of infrastructure and a shortage of GP spaces. The application is set to be decided on on Thursday, March 24.
