THE minarets of an Islamic education centre could soon be a feature of the Westhoughton skyline.

Plans have been submitted to build a religious college including a mosque for students on farmland to the north of the M61 at Wingates.

Drawings show the two-storey building would have tall prayer towers extending five to six metres (16ft to 19ft) above it, with the rest of the 4.5 hectare site landscaped and partly occupied by car parking.

But the plans could hit a stumbling block because the land, Ormston's Farm, sits in a zone protected by greenbelt regulations.

Architects say they have held meetings with town hall chiefs over the site, but planners are likely to be wary of setting a precedent by allowing development on protected land.

Plans could also prove to be unpopular with residents. They have complained that the quiet country road has been made into a rat run by shoppers and football fans who use Wingates Lane and Church Lane as a shortcut to and from Westhoughton.

A spokesman for Manchester-based Evo Concepts, the architects behind the radical plan, said: "It would look distinctively Islamic.

"There will be a couple of minarets which will probably extend about five or six metres above the main height of the building. It's quite a square building with a courtyard in the middle and there would be a mosque for the students.

"Obviously we are aware of the status of the land and discussions have been held with the local authority."

Blackrod councillor Isabel Seddon, whose ward presently covers the land, said: "This is something we would have to think very carefully about, with the application being on greenbelt land.

"I think it will be discussed at great length before we could make any sort of decision."