RESIDENTS and developers clashed over the building of 25 new homes at a meeting that was meant to help the two parties find a compromise.

The construction of the affordable homes near Park Road, in Little Lever, has been dogged with controversy from the outset, with residents raising concerns over traffic, road safety, noise and parking.

Work on the site was brought to a halt earlier this year amid reports of anti-social behaviour and vandalism as tensions in the area grew.

With work set to restart, ward councillor, Sean Hornby called a meeting between residents, housing association Great Places and builders Galliford Try at Hardy Hall, in Little Lever, in a bid to find a mutually agreeable way forward.

Around 50 residents turned up to the meeting, while Great Places and Galliford Try sent three representatives each. But the two parties found very little common ground on a night of heated exchanges.

Towards the end of the nearly two-hour meeting one angry resident told representatives from Great Places and Galliford Try: “You haven't given us one single concession, you've not given us a blade of grass, or anything."

One area of complaint centred on the widening of Park Road, which residents said was essential to ensure the safety of drivers.

The plans for the development, which did not include any road widening, were approved by Bolton council’s planning committee in March.

But residents’ pleas to widen the road by one extra metre to ensure safety for drivers were rejected by the developers.

Nick Gornall, of Great Places, said: “Pushing the road back by one further metre affects the number of plots we can get on site and the whole viability of the development. That’s how tight the site is.

“Ultimately we are being advised we don’t have to do that, we’re not being advised to do that.”

This prompted an angry outburst from resident Michael Austin who said the development was not bringing ‘one single benefit’ to people on Park Road and the work was upsetting everyone.

Mr Gornall said it wasn’t the housing association’s intention to upset anyone, but added: “Great Places is about affordable housing which is much in need in Bolton.”

Cllr Hornby had hoped the meeting would resolve the issue of how long the road would be closed while access roads to the site were put in (which has replaced the installation of a new sewer as the first stage of the project due after conversations between councillors and developers).

He had hoped residents might find a two-phase approach preferable — whereby there would be two three-week closures affecting half of houses in turn, rather than one four-week closure affecting all of the homes for the entire period.

But residents indicated they could not make a decision until the access arrangements for two disabled residents were made clear.

Cllr Hornby’s colleagues, Little Lever and Darcy Lever ward councillors Paul Richardson and Rees Gibbon were also at the meeting.