A WEDDING venue and community centre will stay open — after councillors urged neighbours to ‘learn to live together’.

Retrospective planning permission was been granted for two units at St Paul’s Mill, in Daubhill, to continue operating as a function suite at yesterday’s planning committee meeting at Bolton Town Hall.

Nearby residents and an adjacent mosque had lodged objections over the noise and traffic problems caused by the Barbara Street centre, which council planning officers deemed significant enough to recommend refusing the application.

However, the committee said that those issues could be resolved.

Council leader, Cllr Cliff Morris, said: “They have really got to learn to live together.”

Nearby resident Sohail Patel, of Edgmont Avenue, told the committee that the applicant, Gulam Ali Jiva, had “no regard for the safety or welfare of the local people”.

He complained that children were unable to play in the street because of the traffic and that it was impossible to find a parking space at weekends.

However, Mr Jiva maintained that the site was “definitely for the community” and that he will happily work with residents to explore the possibility of introducing a parking permit system.

He also expressed surprise at the objection from the Ghosia Masjid mosque, saying he had previously come to an agreement with mosque leaders.

Rumworth councillor Shamim Abdullah said she would work with the applicant and neighbours to resolve the noise and parking problems.

Cllr Morris added that all the blame could not be put on the community centre, as the mosque also has no designated parking area.

However, Cllr Bob Allen said that the venue was in a ‘wholly inappropriate’ location.

He added: “We have a lot of streets like this in the borough and they weren’t built for cars. There just isn’t room for any more.”

Last year, the plans had been recommended for approval, but were withdrawn from the agenda before they could be discussed by the council’s planning committee.

Further discussions will now be held on what conditions will be imposed on the planning permission.