A PASSIONATE campaigner is doing his part to fight massive home-building plans by taking part in a climbing challenge.

Steve Hall has raised £700 for a sponsored Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, which he is doing to help protest against plans from Peel Holdings to develop the Hulton Park Estate.

Mr Hall is a member of Hulton Estate Area Residents Together (HEART) and his sponsorship money will be used to hire experts to argue the case against building a championship golf course and 1,200 homes at the site.

He said: “We are so lucky to have this on our doorstep. I would like to thank everyone of you who have sponsored me. I will continue with the training for the next two weeks and will try and gain more sponsors using sponsor forms. The people who have sponsored are making a huge contribution to helping us save Hulton Park and I thank you all very much, I am truly grateful for your help.”

Mr Hall trains twice a day by walking several miles along the estate’s picturesque footpaths with his two labradors, and is worried that the proposed developments would have a devastating impact on local wildlife and on the area’s already-congested roads. He added: “This could affect the area in a negative way as the land is largely agricultural and is home to many species of wild animals and birds.

“The land also houses several farms, many stables and is a very popular site for equestrian and grazing. Hulton Park is a natural beauty spot and if were to be developed in this way the negative effects would be devastating to the local wildlife, the livelihoods of people who work the land and also to the equestrian activities — these local people would be forced to find other stables which are already very limited in the local area. The land also hosts the disused pit shafts and a memorial to the lives lost in a local mining tragedy — the Pretoria Pit disaster of 21 December 1910 where 344 men and boys lost their lives. It would be disrespectful for such a venture to be built on this site which is a place of great historical importance to the local communities.” HEART are also planning a sponsored walk on Sunday, May 14.