A ROW has broken out between a sports club and Bolton Council — after planning officers failed to tell the club about proposals to turn a neighbouring site into leisure facilities.

Members of Bolton Indian Sports Club (BISC) in Hacken Lane, Darcy Lever, say they are “astonished” that the council did not consult with them about the planning application, which will see Bolton Lads and Girls Club use the driveway next door to their club as an access point to its new changing rooms.

The application was approved in 2011, but BISC members say they only found out about it through staff at Bolton Lads and Girls Club.

The council has now apologised to BISC and has offered to meet members to discuss the application.

Pravin Parmar, chairman of the club, said: “I’m astonished that we were never notified about this. Bolton Council knows it has made a mistake.

“We don’t have an issue with the planning application itself, we are just unhappy that the council steamrollered it through without consulting us.

“An apology counts for nothing. We are not being compensated and the council are giving over the land without telling us.”

Urmilaben Morar, secretary of the club, said: “Bolton Council has not listened to us — we have been fobbed off time and time again. It did not contact us to tell us that this application had been approved.

“We’ve looked after the driveway for years so it’s not right that the council just up and take it.”

The driveway is owned by the council and is being leased to Bolton Lads and Girls Club.

A council spokesman said: “We would like to apologise to the club for not consulting them about the planning application.

“We have reviewed what happened and we should have consulted them as part of the planning process.”