Medway Drive planning application. Read the SRA's letter of objection, download here.
Read an interesting article on climate change from the New Chapel Residents Association presented at their AGM.
Places for Everyone (PfE)
Please download and read the SRA's response to the PfE survey, also please access the PfE consultation (before 3rd October) regarding our local area:
i) for the full document regarding Have Your Say
ii) to respond to the proposed Green Belt addition under 115. Bolton Green Belt Additions
Opening on 28th June 2021 at 10.00
Appeals by Peel Investments (North) Ltd AND Northstone Development Ltd relating to the applications to Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council for: Outline application for the erection of up to 276 no. Dwellings together with associated works (access details only) and Outline application for the erection of up to 150 residential dwellings with an area of ecological and recreational greenspace and associated works (access details only) at Land off Victoria Road, Horwich
An Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State will hold an Inquiry opening on the date shown above to decide the appeals. The Inquiry will be held as a virtual event run by an Inspector in the normal way, but with the parties invited to join via Microsoft Teams or telephone. Sessions will be livestreamed so that those who wish to observe (but not participate) should do so by these means. The livestream will be available via the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQqDetL1R5aRgbNm8PDViNw
We have been informed by the Planning Inspectorate that the Inquiry will be livestreamed on YouTube so can be followed by clicking on the link below without any need to register:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQqDetL1R5aRgbNm8PDViNw
It is due to begin at 10am on Tuesday 18th May and then at 9.30am on the following days and is expected to last for 6 days. We have been told that there are usually 3 sessions a day each about 1.5 hours long - 2 in the morning, an hour for lunch and one session in the afternoon. The timetable as to when different people are speaking has been amended quite a bit but hopefully details will be given at the beginning of each day.
TIMETABLE Version 3
Land off Victoria Road, Horwich Draft Inquiry Timetable V3
3256381 & 3266030
Tuesday 18 May
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Inspector’s Opening Remarks
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Opening Statements (10+10+10)
-
Third parties
-
Landscape RTS (afternoon)
Wednesday 19 May
Ms Copley is not available on this day and Professor Cook is only available in the afternoon so:
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Councillor Peel XinC (60) and XX (90)
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Mr Harrison XinC (20)
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Professor Cook XinC (45)
Thursday 20 May
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Ecology RTS
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Professor Cook XX (60)
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Ms Copley XinC (45) and XX (120)
Friday 21 May
-
Mr Hibbert EinC (45)
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Mr Coxon XinC (60) and XX (90+120?)
Tuesday 25 May
-
Third parties ?
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Conditions and S106
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Closing Statements (60+40+60)
May 18th Inquiry date, Watch it live on You Tube, click icon
Have you had your letter from Bolton council? If not Helen Williams would like to hear from you, contact her as per the details on the attached letter to residents. You can still watch the Inquiry as per the details
Planning Application deadline for Peel objections extended to 8th March, by Bolton Council
Easter Raffle, please email for a ticket
Fundraising
Please support our campaign against Peel's planning application Inquest
Northstone have announce that they will appeal the rejection by Bolton Planning committee to build on the Golf Course.
The appeal will be announced on 24th December
Christmas Raffle winners
First prize - drinks hamper kindly donated by the SRA Steering Group: winning ticket number 1576, Margaret Broadfoot
Second prize - Marks and Spencer’s hamper kindly donated by Stephen and Helen Calderbank: winning ticket number 1082, Les McKnight
Third prize - chocolate hamper kindly donated by Rivington Chocolates: winning ticket number 998, Sandra Johnson
Fourth prize - a place on a first aid course kindly donated by Comply at Work: winning ticket number 168, Phil Coventry
Fifth prize - chocolates, baileys and glasses kindly donated by Malcolm Harrison and Jean Tomlinson: winning ticket number 926, John Roden
Sixth prize - a Peter Ravald 2021 calendar kindly donated by Peter Ravald: winning ticket number 916, Maggie Shannon
Bolton council reject Northstones planning application to build 150 houses on the golf course, by 15 votes to 2.
Keep Horwich Green and Moving
SRA Press Release
SRA letter of Objection to Bolton Planning
regarding the planning application by Northstone Development Ltd (Peel)
The letter below has been lodged with the Planning Department, Bolton
Horwich Council reject Northstone planning application on Horwich golf course
Letter to supporters
From the SRA – update 09-10-2020
Dear Supporters and Friends,
As you may be aware, Northstone, a company controlled by Peel, has finally submitted a planning
application (yet another application) to build houses on the Horwich Golf Course. In our note of the
2nd of August to you, we indicated that this was likely. Now it’s happened.
The application is 09488/20. It’s come on to the Bolton Council Planning Department web site in the
last few days. Already, we know of objections to it, and the SRA is going to oppose this application just
as we said we would. We hope you will all do. There were over 1300 – yes 1300 objections - to the
last application. We know there is strong opposition to the building on our green spaces when there
are enough houses coming here anyway.
We are now asking if you would please consider lodging an objection against this planning application.
The process is very simple:
1) To object by email: to planning.control@bolton.gov.uk stating the reference 09488/20.
2) To object by post, stating the reference: Planning Control, Development Management,
Development and Regeneration, Bolton Council, Town Hall, Bolton, BL1 1RU, Tel: 01204
336000.
3) For your objection to count, you MUST include your name, address and a reason for objecting.
4) There can be one objection sent separately for each adult per household, so as many
objections as there are adults in the household.
5) Deadline for objections is Wednesday, 28th October.
6) Whilst you may wish to state a number of concerns, for your objection to count, it MUST
contain a reason why the application conflicts with Bolton’s planning policy. We have listed
some of these below but please add other reasons if you consider they apply.
In the same way that its predecessor did, the application conflicts directly with local planning
policy. In particular, as the development would involve building upon land which is currently
designated as Other Protected Land, the Application conflicts with Policy CG6AP and Parts 4
and 6 of Policy OA1.
The application would cause significant visual harm to the landscape, the application also
conflicts with Parts 2 and 7 of the Bolton Core Strategy (‘BCS’) Policy CG3, and with Parts 9
and 11 of Policy OA1.
Bolton Council has actually committed to make the land Green Belt – it’s currently Other
Protected Open Land, and every attempt should be made to avoid building on it.
Horwich is becoming severely over-developed and its actual housing requirement, identified
in the Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) that was carried out for the Neighbourhood Plan,
clearly indicates that the construction on this site of 150 homes, in addition to those already
proposed for the Loco-works development, is wholly out of proportion to the actual needs of
the area.
Please add your own comments, other grounds for objection are possible too.
Time is critical because the Planning Department has recommended that this application could be
decided under what are termed ‘delegated powers’. Should we be worried? Almost certainly yes,
because ‘delegated powers’ means that the Chair of the Planning Committee, Councillor Walsh, will
sit down with the planners and almost certainly they will decide the matter themselves.
In our view there will be no effective public scrutiny, and no democratic accountability for the decision.
That’s not the way things should work. If this is decided by delegated powers, councillors will not be
able challenge the views or debate the issues. There will be no public participation. It could easily be
a rubber stamp job. Our green spaces get auctioned off to the highest bidder.
We have issued a press release to the Bolton News and the Manchester Evening News earlier to today
[09-10-20] in the next few days.
Thanks to those who have already sent their objections to the Council.
Yours sincerely,
Malcolm Harrison
Chair
Stocks Residents’ Association
https://www.stocksresidentsassociation.com/
Peel Holding "Northgate" planning application for 150 dwellings on the Golf Course
SRA Fundraising Day
Please support us and safeguard our green spaces
This event has now been cancelled
Peel Holding have lodged an appeal to the Golf course planning rejection once again
Council Grant to SRA
The Stocks Residents’ Association gratefully acknowledges the receipt of a grant of £200 from Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council to support the running of our web site. We are glad to have had the support of our local councillors helping us apply for the grant and the efficient administration at Bolton MBC in processing the grant application.
This web site is a very important way for us to be in touch with local residents, and some who are further afield, we are very pleased that the Council has made this grant which allows us to publicise our activities.
As you may be aware, in addition to our Neighbourhood Watch / Home watch activities, our support for action on road safety, together with our efforts to protect open and green belt land; we draw attention through this site to important work that the Council is doing in the area such as the consultation on the Horwich Town Centre Masterplan.
Below is a link to the consultation https://investinbolton.com/horwich/. If you have not already looked at the consultation, please do so, there is still time for feedback to be registered. The Council needs to hear from as many people as possible to be sure of getting the good ideas and feedback to continue to make Horwich and the surrounding area a great place to live, please support the Council by engaging with the consultation.
Invest in Horwich, Bolton
See the latest proposals and give your comments:
The Council approved in 2019 a £16m budget to support the delivery of town centre strategies, in Farnworth, Westhoughton, Horwich and Little Lever, which aims to sustain the immediate future of the town centres to the benefit of the wider Borough and its residents.
LATEST NEWS 16th January
Bolton Council reject the planning application by Peel for the second time.
Rejection was unanimous except for one abstention.
A great result for the people of Horwich
Bolton Council Planning hearing date for Peel's revised planning application, is 2pm Thursday 16th January at the Town Hall. Please join us at 1:15 pm outside the Town Hall (opposite Bolton News)
"Backlash as plans for 276 homes on Horwich Golf club steam ahead"
Bolton Planning Officers recommend approval of the latest Planning application by Peel
Last year, the Councillors on the Planning Committee decided not to take the advice of the officers and rejected the planning application. The SRA will be taking legal advice and submitting its own response but if you would like the Councillors to know what you think, you can send your objection to the individual members of the committee. Here is a list of their email addresses:
Jacqueline.Radcliffe@bolton.gov.uk
Elaine.Sherrington@bolton.gov.uk
anna-marie.watters@bolton.gov.uk
Let's make sure the Councillors are aware of the strength of feeling against this development by filling their inboxes with objections!
Car Wash, and catch up, 14th December 2019
Come along on Saturday 14th Dec have your car washed by our volunteers, whilst you sit in comfort to watch and chat with a little food and drink. Pit your wits against our Christmas quiz and catch up on all the latest events.
Letter by Councillor David James Grant
We currently have over 1700 Homes being built on the Loco Works, 110 on Victoria Road, 48 on Pickups Field, 20 on the old St. Mary's social Club, 11 on Crown Lane. Do we really need a further 276 on the golf course? Over the next few years that equates to at least 4330 cars on the roads of Horwich. The loss of yet more green space, Peel say they have listened to concerns but clearly not to those of Horwich residents. Please write and object before the 29th November you can do that via E-mail or signing up to planning portal and writing a comment in the application.
https://www.facebook.com/david.j.grant.50?__tn__=%2Cd*F*F-R&eid=ARD2I2vJWpwsa_CF2rB2_SWlyxULTLXi-O5z54Bzq-grUgw3vHXt-_LJB-6rrw8wdPh1zWyJFsh8ldIA&tn-str=*F
PEEL Holdings resubmit Planning Application
Please Help URGENT
Firstly, we thank you for your continued support - without you, Peel would just flag over our lovely town. We are doing our very best to prevent this, but CANNOT do this alone, and once again ask for your valuable help!
The Steering Group met to discuss the way forward regarding Peel Holding’s revised planning application. We have to prioritise the most urgent issues, and leave fundraising to a later date.
The main priority is to send our letters of objection to Bolton Council. We only have until 29TH NOVEMBER to object, in an even greater volume that we did before.
We ask if EVERY single member of the family from the age of 18 could write and object to Peel’s application. One adult = one letter. The SRA has 246 members, please could everyone find 10 members of their family, friends and neighbours to write and support us? To have over 2000 letters would be immense and would make Bolton Council listen to the people of Horwich saying that "enough is enough - our town CANNOT cope with anymore”!
Below are listed a few key points that you can include in your letter. It need only be short; however, any number of points can be mentioned and you may have your own ideas as well - thank you.
It is IMPERATIVE that you include the following in your letter:
YOUR NAME
YOUR ADDRESS
APPLICATION NUMBER which is 07245/19
DATE
WITHOUT THIS INFORMATION YOUR OBJECTION WILL NOT COUNT!
KEY POINTS TO MAKE
1. Congestion / traffic - the last traffic assessment was conducted around 4/5 years ago, and so we suggest that a new traffic survey is undertaken. The data that they are relying on is outdated.
2. Loosing green space
3. The visual impact the development with have upon the landscape
4. There is absolutely no evidence that we need any more houses in Horwich. The 1700 houses that are ongoing on the Loco Works, along with the 110 Jones Homes on Victoria Road, more than meets the demand to provide Bolton with their housing requirements.
If there is anyone who needs help with writing letters, please get in touch via email and we will send someone out to help you.
Your letters need to be posted or emailed to:
Bolton Council
Planning Control
Development of place
Town Hall
Bolton
BL1 1RU
or email to: planning.control@bolton.gov.uk
We are also asking for volunteers to help us man a stall outside Sainsbury's in Horwich on Saturday 23rd November, 9am - 3 pm where we shall ask members of our town to help support us and write with objection. If you could just do one hour, that would be massively appreciated!
We will also be having a stall inside New Chapel Lane Post Office on a different date.
We are also asking are you able to collect a few letters from your nearby neighbours - if so, please get in touch - the more of us who can pull together the easier it will be.
Here is a list of some other things we need help with:
CHRISTMAS CAR WASH AND GET TOGETHER - date probably Saturday 14th December 10am to 3pm - but please watch this space.
BOOKS - please save your books for our stall on car wash day - they can be left in the porch at no 15 Mayfair or New Chapel Lane Post Office.
PRIZES - do you have any unwanted gifts, bottles, anything suitable for our raffle?
CAKES - Chapel Lane Post office have kindly been selling homemade cakes for us, which greatly helped with the fundraising. We had a rota of 4 people previously, however to make it easier we would like to expand the rota to make things a bit easier. If you could volunteer to make biscuits, fruit cake, cherry, lemon, madeira cake or flapjacks (these are the best sellers) or anything you think suitable, we would appreciate a few more of us on our team. If you are able to help PLEASE email. If you are unable to help with the baking but would like to help in other ways, offers of ingredients would be most appreciated. The cost can mount up at times for the people on the rota.
We are thankful and greatly appreciate any ideas that you have to help us once again with this fight! We carefully think about suggestions and take on what we think is achievable within the small group that we have, but welcome any new thoughts.
It is a very sad situation that we have once again found ourselves in, HOWEVER, just as we did last time, we will do our very best to make Councillors and officials realise and see just what is happening in this town, and to push further ahead with saying that these developers CANNOT be allowed to just bulldoze over our green space, and ruin what we all enjoy.
Any queries PLEASE do not hesitate to contact us.
Thank You
GREAT NEWS: Peel Holdings have LOST their appeal against Bolton councils rejection for building on Horwich Golf Course and surrounding lands
More Housing Planning applications in Horwich
20 3 & 4 Bedroom Houses Planned for St Mary's Club Site.
06370/19 | ERECTION OF 20 No DWELLINGS WITH ASSOCIATED LANDSCAPING, ENGINEERING AND ACCESS FROM BERNE AVENUE | SITE OF ST MARY'S SOCIAL CLUB, BOSWORTH STREET, HORWICH, BOLTON, BL6 5QL
There is enough new housing development in Horwich, the road network is not designed for large volumes of traffic. The roads are already at saturation point and have become congested and polluted. We already have to suffer the extra traffic from 1900 houses on the loco works, plus 110 houses on Victoria road and possibly 300 on the Golf course. Enough is Enough....NO MORE HOUSES IN HORWICH
Submission date Friday 26th July, get your letters of objection in!!
-
We’ve given it our best shot’: hearing finishes:
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Findings in due course after Inspector deliberates
Thank You
WELL WHERE TO START! This is going an email with a lot of THANKS in it!
With our last email, we sent you the news that we needed to raise around £2900 to cover our expenses for the Solicitor and Barrister. We knew we had some real hard work ahead and, as usual, the members of the SRA and the great Horwich community came together.
On Saturday, the loveliest of days, many many people joined us, sitting in the garden, chatting, eating homemade cakes and drinking tea and coffee. It was so lovely to see!
Our team of car washers were hard at it by 10.30am and boy did they get worked hard! THANK YOU to everyone who helped wash - we couldn't have done it without you!
Between them they washed 1 motorhome, 2 vans and 69 cars!!!
Thank you to Malcolm Laithwaite and Rennie Hackett for the supply of car shampoo.
Our fabulous bakers once again produced some excellent goodies - we just wished we had taken a picture before it was all decimated!
THANK YOU to you all!
We sold lots of raffle ticket - thanks to all who supplied us with some great prizes. Tickets are still on sale for the next few weeks and the prizes are now on display at Chapel Lane post office - Christine is selling tickets for us. If anyone is still wanting them, payment can also be made by BACS. Thanks to our leaflet deliverers who spent hours pacing the streets to spread the word - our message certainly got out there!
To our amazing catering / selling team - Judith, Margaret, Marian, Abby and Kiera - they all worked so hard keeping everyone fed and watered, selling tickets and books.
Many thanks indeed to our Councillors who took time out of their busy day to attend – Ken and Sue Denton, Steven Chadwick, Craig Rotherham, David Grant, Richard Silvestor, Kevin Mckeon, Peter Wright, Gordon Stone and MP Chris Green. Your support is appreciated.
To everyone who donated items for us to sell - an exercise bike, a set of bowls and a car cleaning kit - they all got sold and raised £150! Many thanks indeed! Also thanks to those lovely people who bought them!
Thanks to Christine at the Post Office as always for her unending support to the SRA - it is amazing what this lady does for us. She donated many items that we needed for the day, as did Malcolm Laithwaite. Many thanks to you both.
Thank you so much to the many people who came up with very kind donations in the form of cheques and cash - this has made a massive difference to the total needed!
With donations since the last email, along with the car wash, raffle tickets sold, our stall on Saturday, along with refreshments, we have raised a massive £2753 - we couldn't be more astounded by the final total. So this leaves us with just a small shortfall, which with more raffle tickets to yet come in and to be sold, we are sure we can get to the amount required!
As mentioned earlier, Christine will continue selling tickets for the next few weeks, with the draw at the end of July. She will, as normal, also be accepting books to sell at the Post Office.
We just wish the planning Inspector could have been with us on Saturday, to see what a great community we have become and to see how passionate we all are about our lovely town of Horwich. We had so many new faces this time, which shows that word is still spreading - THANK You to everyone who came and supported us. It was not only people from Horwich, we had new people from Lostock too, it was great to see! Thanks to members of neighbouring Residents Associations of New Chapel and Ox Hey that joined us, with special thanks to Shirley and Mick, who only came to get their car washed and ended up washing cars with us!
We now await the appeal date starting Tuesday 2nd July for 4 days. An email will be coming out in the next few days explaining what we next need help with during the appeal. We are meeting with our Barrister on Monday who will give us more information.
Please forgive us if we have missed anyone out in sending our thanks, but sincerely we end by saying a great big THANK YOU to you all for everything, not only during this last week in raising the remainder that we needed, but throughout this entire time we have been fighting the appeal.
We strive to keep Horwich Green and moving and hope that we get the result that we SO deserve.
Kind regards
Ruth Rigby (Secretary) and Maria Hilton (Treasurer)
Raffle
We now have 6 fab prizes for the raffle -
1 st hamper
2 nd champagne and chocs
3rd port cheese and biscuits
4 th bottle of gin
5 th podiatry session
6 th £20 voucher to the coffee shop at Heaton
Payment can be made via bacs
Tickets on sale via the Sra or chapel lane post office
Thank you
Planning Inspectorate has rejected the appeal by Bellway Homes to build 174 dwellings on Bowlands Hey Westhoughton
Car Wash Event
Please come along on Sunday 28th March, have a chat, meet new friends and find out the latest.
Cancelled
Cancelled
Keep Horwich Green and Moving EVENT
May 3rd, 2019
An evening of 60's and 70's music provided by STACEY at the RMI club 3rd May
Application to build houses on Mill Lane and Gingham Brow GREEN FIELD. Please object to this proposal
Jan 14, 2019
5170/18 | APPLICATION FOR PERMISSION IN PRINCIPLE FOR THE ERECTION OF TWO DWELLING HOUSES AND ASSOCIATED AMENITIES | LAND AT MILL LANE AND GINGHAM BROW, HORWICH, BOLTON
GM Revised Spacial Framework now published
Jan 6th 2019
THE long-awaited revised plan that could shape Greater Manchester for years to come has now been published.
Horwich Golf course to be designated Green Belt land
Peel Holdings refused planning permission to build housing on Salford Greenway
Nov 12, 2018
SECRETARY OF STATE DISMISSES PEEL HOLDINGS APPEAL TO BUILD 600 HOUSES ON WORSLEY GREENWAY
Time to put Bolton Housing first
November 5, 2018
Bolton MP Chris Green has called on Bolton Council to create its own five year plan for Housing
SRA granted Rule6(6) status by the Planning Inspectorate.
October 26th, 2018
This means that the SRA can take an active part in the Inquiry and will be privy to all the details, and be fully involved in the process.
Why is the GM spacial Framework delayed again
October 16th 2018
GMCA now thinks 175,000 houses could be built on available land. Most of this is “brownfields” sites but some is on Green Belt
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The Public Meeting was a huge success with standing room only.
Oct 14 2018
SRA Chair Malcolm Harrison addressed the meeting and gave an update into the current situation
PUBLIC MEETING
Oct 1, 2018
7 pm Wednesday 10th October Horwich Parish C of E Primary school.
Update on the appeal by Peel Holdings
Local Builder tries to renege on promises
Sep25, 2018
Jones Homes tries to renege on Education payments
Bolton council to make the Golf course Green Belt land
Sep 22, 2018
Bolton Council are proposing to turn the Golf Course into green belt land
Traffic congestion in Horwich will become gridlocked if further over-development is allowed.
Sep 13, 2018
Read the article published in the BOLTON NEWS
Peel Holdings have appealed to the secretary of state against the planning rejection.
Sep 1, 2018
Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 NOTICE UNDER ARTICLES 13 & 36
Notice ID: WAR0778766
Too many houses being built on greenfield
June 9, 2019
Read the article by the 'Campaign to Protect Rural England'
Bolton Council Planning REJECT the application by PEEL 28th June 2018
June 9, 2019
After a debate in the council chambers, and a speech by Matthew Bennett on behalf of SRA, the council voted unanimously to reject the application to build 300 houses on the golf course and adjacent land
Brownfield sites identified
June 9, 2019
Andy Burnham has identified 175000 extra Brownfield sites
Protect building on Green Belt land ... Theresa May Prime Minister
June 9, 2019
In a speech recently she has introduced fairer planning rules.
Greater Manchester Spatial Framework
June 9, 2019
Public Meeting
Links
June 9, 2019
Links to social media
Acknowledgements
June 9, 2019
Many thanks to the following for their invaluable help in supporting our cause:
CRAFTPRINT LTD Horwich
Horwich First
Grundy Hill, New Chapel and other local Residents Associations
All who have donated to our cause
All the volunteers and local shopkeepers
Check out more Stocks Residents Association articles.