RESIDENTS have forced a climb down from a developer building houses near Westhoughton town centre.

A group of residents from Mill Street went to a planning meeting at Westhoughton Town Hall to petition against the development.

It led to developer Fountain Park Developments re-thinking their proposals.

The access to the site at Clough Fold Farm, off Mill Street, will now be widened after fears for children's safety.

And Westhoughton town councillors have backed residents opposed to the development.

The proposal is for 14 two-bedroom mews-type houses with parking for 18 cars.

The residents said there was already congestion in the area and feared more cars and poor access via a former farm track would endanger children's lives.

They also said plans did not have enough places for cars which would lead to on-street parking.

Resident Thomas Brown said: "The lane isn't wide enough for any traffic.

"The residents all have children and at the moment it's quite safe but if you get cars along there at 30 or 40mph, how long will it be before a child is hurt?"

Ian Holden, a director for the development company, said the architect had redrawn the plans and widened the access road by two metres.

He said: "We have taken on board the the residents' comments and we are sympathetic to their concerns.

"The new proposal will alleviate the problems with congestion."

The plan will now go before Bolton councillors, who have to decide whether the changes are sufficient to overcome objections.

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