AN application to build four semi detached houses on Pingle Closes Farm has been unanimously rejected by Westhoughton Town Council.

In a meeting tonight, councillors heard from a resident who lives close to the property who spoke on behalf of other residents to relay their objections.

The application put forward by Ms Burns proposes for the erection of four, three bed semi-detached houses.

Speaking at the meeting resident Simon Goulding said: "This application is proposed on green belt land.

"To allow any application on a green belt site will just set the precedent for future developments.

"The fact that this is for four properties on quite a sizeable piece of land just gives the potential for that to be extended ten fold.

"There is a considerable amount of wildlife around Daisy Hill which will be threatened.

"Also an increase in housing will have a significant impact on the local infrastructure and will put pressure on our already stretched resources in Daisy Hill and the surrounding areas.

"The roads in Daisy Hill are already very busy, schools are at their full capacity we have two GP surgeries in Daisy Hill so they will be stretched even further and there is also a bus stop which is located directly outside where the location of the planning application is so that would have to be moved which will have a significant impact on local residents.

"The application has also been proposed on flooded land which in my opinion does not make it significant or robust to build on.

"There are too many houses in the area already and Hindley Road I see as being the last original part of Daisy Hill it's kept it's romance and originality and I think that should be kept in some way."

Sharing Mr Goulding's opinion Cllr David Chadwick said that if the local authority was to approve the plan it would "set a very dangerous precedent".

Cllr Chadwick said: "Having visited the site quite frankly I was astonished at the amount of birds, small large and medium sized that seemed to be there.

"I am concerned that this is a loss of an natural habitat for a number of wildlife .

"I agree with you that schools are full capacity and GP surgeries are also fairly tight and I am concerned that the land clearly is a flood plain.

Meanwhile Councillor Wilkinson said he believed the application to be "daft".

He said: "This application does not meet the requirements of delegations plans, it does not meet any of the objectives for green belt land and it does not meet any objectives in the core strategy.

"Bolton Council bases all it's planning applications on those documents and this application is against every policy it has got.

"So I hope I am right in thinking that this planning application won't succeed.

"It is a bad application."