TWO homes on an unauthorised luxury estate could de demolished.

Sparkle Developments was ordered to cease construction of five mansions at Grundy Fold Farm, Chorley Old Road, last year, after it was revealed that they were built in a different size, design and location than had been agreed with Bolton Council.

The developer was refused a retrospective planning application for the site in June and told to come back with amended designs, sparking fury from neighbours who wanted to see the entire estate torn down.

Following concerns earlier this month about two 'piecemeal' planning applications covering only part of the site, Sparkle has returned with a new proposal covering all five homes.

The plans include the re-siting of two of the homes, which means that the existing structures would have to be demolished, the removal of a single storey extension from another house, and the retention of the remaining two in their current state.

Heaton and Lostock councillor Bob Allen, who sits on the council's planning committee, said: "This seems to be a long way from what the public expected and I suspect it is a long way from what the planning committee expect. But this is a new application and we will considers it on its merits.

"What I would say to residents is that this is a fresh application and if they have objections then they must get them in quickly, as they have done before."

No date has been set for the applications to be heard by the planning committee.

Alan Ainsworth, who owns a property in Scant Row, directly across the road from the controversial development, said: "At least the council is doing something about it. At the end of the day, they should not have been built in the first place.

"I could not believe that nobody from the council had gone past there and not seen the homes being built.

"Something should have been done before the buildings got to this state. It would have saved everybody a lot of expense, even the builders.

"I am happy that something is being done because I did not think the council would act on this but at least they are acting, otherwise other developers would get on the bandwagon."

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A council spokesman said: "When the council’s planning department received complaints in October 2016 about work taking place not in accordance with planning permission, they advised the developer to stop work on a number of occasions.

"The developer was given timescales to address the issues but chose to proceed with the work at their own risk and submitted a retrospective planning application.

"This was refused by the authority’s planning committee in June and Sparkle Developments was given a deadline by planning bosses to return to the council with amended plans or face action.

"The council has now written to local residents to consult on the new application. Any comments on the new application will be accepted until the date of planning committee.

"Two other applications have previously been received by the council for each of the two homes the applicant is seeking to retain and the council will determine all three applications at the same planning committee meeting."

The council is still awaiting an application regarding the tipping of soils to the rear of the site and a further planning application has been requested to cover this.

Last month, council planning chief Paul Whittingham said he wanted to take a tougher stance against developers who breach planning regulations.

At a planning committee meeting in June, a spokesman from Sparkle claimed to have been given informal permission for the altered designs by the former council planning chief Jon Berry.