OWNERS of a pet cremation business have failed in their second attempt to start the first animal crematorium to Bolton.

Councillors threw out an application to build a pet crematorium and garden of remembrance, with 14 car parking spaces, in land next to Firwood Industrial Estate.

The firm, Pet Crematorium Services (PCS), first applied to build the unit on the same patch of land in Thicketford Road last year, which was also rejected.

The business currently runs nine crematorium sites across the UK, and its website says it offers “the extra life of your pet’s final resting place”.

Cllr Elaine Sherrington, who represents Tonge with the Haulgh, urged her colleagues to reject the application on green belt land.

She said: “This land is part of the green lung to the area and we do need to keep this as a green, grassed area.

“It is green belt and we don’t have much of that going for us in the area.

“What worries me is that if it is approved and it is not successful, then it could then become something else which is of an industrial nature.

“I do just think this is the wrong place. I do realise that people do have pets and they do die and need disposing of, but I think this is not an appropriate area to be doing this.”

Tony Lang, a partner at Eagley-based architects RT Design, spoke up for the application at Thursday’s meeting of the planning committee.

He told councillors that while he accepted the main issue was building the unit on green belt land, it would be difficult for the company to find a suitable site in or on the edge of a built-up area in Bolton.

But Cllr Nick Peel said he could not see what had been changed in the application since they last requested permission a year ago.

Officers from Bolton Council's planning department also voiced fears that developers had not provided enough information to assess the impact on the flood risk.

Cllr Peel added: “There always has to be very special circumstances to get successful permission to build in green belt, and the applicant has not addressed any.

“Clearly these facilities are needed, but there are places where they should not be built, and this urban lung is not an appropriate place.”