COMMUNITY groups in Horwich have joined forces to fight against plans to build 300 homes on the town's golf course.

The Stocks Park and Grundy Hill residents associations have joined together in order to fight against the homes claiming Horwich does not have the infrastructure to support the development.

The proposal was revealed at the end of October by property giants Peel Investments, which also has plans to build a championship golf course and around 1,000 homes on the Hulton Park Estate.

A statement circulated by the residents associations claimed the development would add to current issues in the town including traffic and the pressure on school places.

It read: "Our roads are already clogged and can not cope with more traffic, estimated to be 3,000 more cars. Horwich will become one huge car park.

"In addition there will not be enough doctors, dentists or school places for all."

The groups urged people to submit objections to Bolton Council once Peel applies for planning permission.

They added: "We need to pull together to fight Peel."

The 300 homes at the golf course would add to the 1,700-home regeneration of the Horwich Loco Works and the 130 houses off Victoria Road.

Sue Baines, secretary of the Grundy Hill Residents Association, said the golf course plans would add to issues currently being experienced by the group.

These include recently reported parking problems caused by the opening of the new leisure centre without a permanent car park.

Mrs Baines said the groups would support each other in fighting to solve other problems in the town.

She said: "The more people we can get to try and affect change the better.

"That is what we are hoping to do. We have been getting a lot of enquiries.

"We think people are getting fed up. We have had three accidents on Victoria Road since the leisure centre opened, and one of them was quite a bad one.

"There could be homes on the golf course and we have heard that there could be around 3,000 people moving into houses.

"We do not have the infrastructure. To get from my house in Brooklands to the Bee Hive roundabout, it can take a good 45-50 minutes.

"There is a school at the bottom of Victoria Road and you have got great big wagons with children trying to cross the road.

"And we have people parking vehicles on double yellow lines."

She added that more residents groups in the area could join together with Grundy Hill and Stocks Park.

A meeting of the groups is going to be held at the Horwich Conservative Club on Monday, January 8 at 7pm.