A WESTHOUGHTON councillor has launched a petition against what he has labelled “naive and unnecessary” plans to build 300 houses in the town.

Cllr Christoper Peackock, who represents the Westhoughton North and Chew Moor ward, has already received more than 600 signatories to his e-petition, which is calling on Bolton Council’s planning committee to refuse planning permission for the housing scheme on land at Lee Hall in Westhoughton.

Developers Persimmon Homes North West held a public consultation on their plans for the land, which is classed as open and protected, between Platt Lane and Manchester Road, with an application due to be submitted in the new year.

The plans have drawn shock and anger from many residents and town councillors, and Cllr Peacock said he wants to give local people a collective voice through the petition.

He said: “I actually went along to the public consultation with an open mind but I left with absolutely no understanding of the purpose of this development.

“What they want is to develop an area of green space with houses that simply aren’t needed and that will make traffic issues in an already congested area much worse.

“I think the developers are extremely naive if they think that between three and four hundred cars are simply going to glide onto the Chequerbent roundabout with no issues.”

The land on the Lee Hall site is owned by Peel Holdings but Persimmon has an option to build on it.

The outline plans also include an area of public open space and a children’s play area as well as new access routes at Platt Lane and the Chequerbent Roundabout.

There are also plans for a corridor of “safeguarded land”, which is intended to protect a route for a potential future link road between Westhoughton and Atherton.

The developers have said that the Lee Hall site provides an opportunity to contribute to the “acknowledged under-supply of new homes in the borough”, describing it as a “logical and sustainable location”.

Anyone who would like to sign Cllr Peacock’s petition can do so online at http://ow.ly/EWDtb or paper petitions can be picked up by calling Cllr peacock on 07917 643841.