AS politicians continue quarrelling over housing plans, several major developments are making their way through the planning process. JOSEPH TIMAN reports on the controversial developments given the green light and the decisions due to be made on appealed applications.

THE publication of a plan which would set out land allocation for housing and employment in Bolton for the next 20 years has been delayed for two years.

Bolton councillors are waiting for the saga of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework to be resolved. But this has had a detrimental effect on the planning process in Bolton.

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Cllr David Chadwick, who sits on the planning committee, said that he is confident that the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework will be released shortly.

But meanwhile, some have argued that the absence of a plan improves developers’ chances of successfully appealing decisions to build on green spaces.

An application to build 58 homes on the vacant site of Hartley’s Farm in Westhoughton was approved on appeal partly because the council could not demonstrate a five-year supply of housing land.

Several controversial “protected open space” developments were initially refused by the council but won on appeal while others are due to be decided by the government’s planning inspectorate next year.

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Plans to build a Ryder Cup golf course and 1,036 homes in Hulton Park Estate will also be considered at a public inquiry next year but this site is classified as green belt land.

Here are four developments on protected open space, which have a lower level of protection than sites in the green belt classification.

Bowlands Hey

An application for 129 homes was initially refused by Bolton Council in January 2017.

The council argued that the application warranted inappropriate development for that type of land and would create traffic problems on the roads in the area.

But the developer appealed the decision and the refusal was overturned by a government planning inspector last year after an inquiry.

The inspector, Hayden Baugh-Jones, argued in his decision that there were benefits to the development.

He said it would not result in harm to the highway network and referred to the authority’s shortfall in its five-year housing land supply.

In February, Bellway Homes submitted plans for the second phase of building at Bowlands Hey for another 174 homes which were refused by the planning committee in June. The decision was appealed and a public inquiry is due to be held next year on January 22.

Horwich Golf Course

Peel’s plans to build up to 300 new homes at Horwich Golf Club and neighbouring fields were unanimously by the planning committee in June.

The decision went against the recommendation to approve the application, due to the council being unable to demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing sites.

The development giant appealed the decision which will go to a public inquiry due to take place next year on July 2.

Meanwhile, ward councillors are campaigning to change the site to green belt land status which they hope will have some influence on the planning inspector’s decision.

Lee Hall

Persimmon’s Lee Hall development was won on appeal, with government inspectors saying that the plans were being approved partly because Bolton Council is not meeting its required housing supply.

A Government planning inspector overturned the town hall’s decision to reject Persimmon Homes’ proposal to develop 45 acres of protected open land at Lee Hall, near the Chequerbent Roundabout.

The inspector, Frances Mahoney, said that the potential harm caused by the proposed development would not ‘come close to significantly and demonstrably outweighing the benefits of the scheme’. A ‘significant shortfall’ of housing across Bolton was once again stated as a key reason for allowing the development to go ahead.

Hartley’s Farms

Hollins Wingates resubmitted the proposed development for Hartley’s Farm at the end of February, three months after the planning committee threw out the original plans.

In November, members of Bolton Council branded the proposa; ‘extreme overdevelopment’. But, allowing the plans last month, planning inspector Bryn Bowker said: “The council acknowledge that they cannot currently demonstrate a five-year supply of housing land and this provides a clear indication of an unmet housing need.”