11:02am Thursday 3rd September 2009
CONTROVERSIAL plans to turn an open cast mine site into an industrial park are unnecessary because more than 800,000 sq ft of unused industrial land is already available across Bolton, protesters claim.
Furious residents are campaigning against plans to turn Cutacre, near Over Hulton, into a major commercial development.
Protesters say they were promised that the open cast mine would eventually be turned into a country park when short-term coal extraction started there in 2006.
Opponents say at least 31 industrial units are already available around Bolton, offering more than 800,000 sq ft of working space, as well as almost 1,000,000 sq ft of office space.
One resident said: “To put this into perspective, there would be 31 plots the size of football pitches available, which would stretch a distance of over two miles if they were put end to end.”
Cllr Phil Ashcroft, who is supporting the residents’ campaign, said: “There are lots of brownfield sites in Bolton that are still available. So before we start looking at things up to 2026, why not use what we’ve already got?
“Let’s use some of the sites that used to be industrial land, instead of building houses on them.”
Cllr Andy Morgan, who is also supporting the protesters, said: “Of course we support the creation of jobs, but it can’t be at the detriment of such a public convenience.
“It is vital that we stop the destruction of such a valued green lung that stops us joining up with Salford.”
Cutacre’s owners, UK Coal, want to develop a proportion of the site’s 1,000 acres. They say Cutacre was always envisaged as an industrial park with landscaping.
Keith Davies, Bolton Council’s director of regeneration and development, said the site was necessary to secure Bolton’s economic future.
He said: “You can point to brownfield sites in lots of little pockets but, in terms of large scale use, Cutacre is one of the sites that has been identified.”
Comments on the Cutacre plan can be sent by email to: ldfconsultation@bolton.gov.uk or by post to: Spatial Planning Team, 5th Floor, Bolton Town Hall, Bolton, BL1 1RU.
A special meeting to discuss the plans will be held in Bolton Town Hall’s Festival Hall on Wednesday, September 9, at 7pm.
julian.thorpe@ theboltonnews.co.uk
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