AN old farm in Westhoughton that has been redundant for years could be resurrected.

The owners of Brinsop Hall Farm, off Brinsop Hall Lane, have proposed to reinstate the former Cinder Hill Farm on its land and split its curtilage into two.

A planning application submitted to Bolton Council revealed plans to erect a new farmhouse with a detached barn and access route within the subdivided curtilage of Brinsop Hall Farm, which took over the land when Cinder Hill Farm was closed.

Ronson Building Design submitted a statement to the authority on behalf of applicant Charles Heeley and said Brinsop Hall Farm currently covers more than 150 acres of farmland used for small scale livestock including sheep.

They said: "The land has become difficult for the owner to maintain due to its size and changes to the farming industry over the last 20 years.

"The vast area of land is currently maintained and managed from one farmhouse which is owned by the applicants, Mr and Mrs Heeley.

"They are finding that the land is becoming increasingly difficult to manage with work that includes general upkeep, boundary treatments, care of cattle and livestock and other endless tasks.

"The client has calculated that the farm in its current size will become profitless and not financially viable to run as one entity.

"It has been decided that the best option would be to split the curtilage back into two, and reinstate Cinder Hill Farm, which became redundant some years ago.

"The farmhouse itself can no longer be seen but the foundations to the structure are still in place.

"The existing barn would be extremely difficult and expensive to convert as all of the original structural elements have failed and newer structural remedial works have been unsuccessful."

The plans went before Westhoughton Town Council and no objections were raised but members requested that the access was changed to the north of the site, just off the A6.

They claimed the proposed historical access is overgrown and prone to flooding, which affects the rear of a nearby row of terraced houses.

Speaking at a recent town council meeting, Cllr David Wilkinson said: "The track has not been used for many years and has been closed off. It has closed in over the years and has trees on it and the hedges have grown in substantially.

"There is a major drain under the track, which backs up on a regular basis and floods the back street and the allotments.

"In a sense, I can't say I have a problem with the development because its going to knock the barn down, put up the farmhouse with a new barn. We have had lots of those in Westhoughton."