Appeal hearing date set for previously rejected plans for 75-home estate on ‘Llama fields’
01.02.2022 - 18:44
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A three-day planning appeal hearing is set to take place in February into rejected plans for a 75-home estate on ‘well loved’ green fields.
The plans, for the area known as the ‘Llama fields’ on Lever Park Avenue, Horwich, close to the West Pennine moors, were thrown out by Bolton Council in 2020 amid massive local opposition.
The appeal, by Eccleston Homes Ltd was at first due to be held last September, but was later postponed.
Now a new hearing date has been set for the Lancaster Suite within Bolton Town Hall, beginning on Tuesday, February 22.
The secretary of state has appointed planning inspector S Dean to preside over the public hearing.
The inspector will hear evidence form the developer, Bolton Council and objectors before arriving at a decision.
The plans, on the three-hectare green field site, are for 36 four-bedroom houses, 24 three-bedroom houses, nine two-bedroom houses, four two- bed apartments and two one-bedroom apartments.
41 of the houses are proposed to be detached, eight are to be semi-detached and 20 are to be terraced houses.
113 letters of objection were received during the original appeal application process.
The objections included ‘the land is protected open land and should be protected from development’ and that ‘Horwich has had more than its fair share of new housing and is full to capacity’.
Other objectors said ‘housing should be built on brownfield sites instead’ that ‘there is space within the Horwich Loco site to build the required houses’ and ‘the land is important to and well loved by local residents’.
Arguments were also made that the site is at the gateway to Lever Park and Rivington and is a transition between the settlement of Horwich and the country park and moorlands.
Chorley