CAMPAIGNERS hoping to stop the building of more than 1,000 homes on the Hulton Park estate say they are confident of winning the Government’s backing.

Members of the Hulton Estate Area Residents Together (HEART) group travelled to Manchester to see Communities Secretary Sajid Javid speak about homelessness yesterday and believe he would share fears about a lack of affordable housing within Peel Holdings’ plans for the historic site.

HEART secretary Sandra Hesketh said: “He was very passionate about tackling homelessness and said he would not rest until this problem has been solved.

“If he feels so passionately about homelessness, then how could he support the building of all these luxury homes and not a single affordable home?

“We are all feeling very positive after hearing him speak.”

If Bolton Council officers were to recommend approval of the controversial plans — which also include a championship golf course — and gain councillors’ support, the scale and location of the proposed development would mean it would have to be referred to the Secretary of State for a final decision.

Mr Javid was speaking at a Conservative Party conference fringe event at the Radisson Blu hotel, organised by the Centre for Social Justice.