A DECISION on the ambitious plan to create a Ryder Cup-standard golf course on a Grade II-listed estate will be made next week.

Peel Holdings' application to turn Hulton Park into a championship 18-hole course and more than 1,000 homes will be debated by Bolton Council's planning committee on Thursday, March 22 at 2pm.

In a statement, a spokesman for the authority said: "An additional planning committee has been arranged for March 22 to consider the application from Peel Holdings for Hulton Park.

"The meeting will take place at 2pm and it will also be broadcast live online, allowing people to watch the application being debated, from the comfort of their homes.

"A recording of the meeting will also be available online, enabling residents to catch up if they are unable to watch it live."

The plans caused outrage in the community when they were revealed last year leading to a number of protests by campaign group Hulton Estate Area Residents Together (Heart).

The organisation is planning to hold a protest outside the town hall on the day of the committee.

Cllr David Chadwick, chairman of Heart and Westhoughton South ward councillor, said: "I just think the outcome should be rejection. If it is not rejected then I will be distraught.

"The prospect of having these houses in green belt land around Westhoughton is just not worth thinking about. Westhoughton is under siege."

The £240million project, which also included a hotel with conferencing and spa facilities, was originally scheduled to be discussed on Thursday, March 1 but the decision was delayed shortly after members of Heart delivered more than 800 new letters of objection.

Peel's aim is to have the course ready in time to bid for the 2026 Ryder Cup.

A spokesman from Peel Land and Property said approving the application would "help improve the prosperity and quality of life of Boltonians for generations to come"

He said: “Hulton Park is an important and valuable resource, but one which has been in decline for around a century.

"It is in desperate need of restoration and, crucially, a viable future use. Only through substantial investment and intervention – of the kind envisaged in the application – can it be restored and made into a sustainable asset for the area.

"The proposal would create a sporting facility of international quality and reputation, and has been specifically designed to host the Ryder Cup golf tournament and other major golf events. It has been designed by European Golf Design, which has designed other Ryder Cup venues, and every component of the project has been developed to meet and exceed the Ryder Cup tournament selection criteria, taking in to account the sensitivity of the site and surroundings.

"The event brings with it both major social and economic benefits and the potential for a lasting, positive legacy for the host area, including training opportunities for local people, job creation, increased sports participation, and health and wellbeing benefits. The Academy will offer a dedicated and specialist ‘centre of learning’, with state-of-the-art teaching facilities available to people of all ages and abilities. The project will raise the profile of the area on the world-stage and enhance Bolton’s offer for sport, tourism and investment.

"We have been acutely mindful that the project needs to integrate well with existing communities around the site. Hence, the project includes a new ‘Hulton Trail’ and ‘Pretoria Park’ for the community, a new link road from Chequerbent roundabout to Platt Lane and other highways improvements, and contributions (land and finance) for a new primary school. The new link road will be delivered during the initial phases of the development, to provide early benefits for the local area.

"The proposed new housing is a critical part of the project as it provides essential cross-funding – the project cannot happen without it. Any impacts of the new housing on local infrastructure will be fully addressed and there will be notable benefits as the site contributes to meeting housing need over the longer term.

"It is imperative for the project that planning and delivery certainty are established as soon as possible, so that Hulton Park can be taken forward as a candidate venue for the Ryder Cup. Any significant delay would put the prospects of success at risk, by missing the selection process.

"In our view, a vote to approve the application will help improve the prosperity and quality of life of Boltonians for generations to come.”

The committee meeting will take place in the council chamber in Bolton Town Hall at 2pm. It can also be viewed online at bolton.public-i.tv/core/portal/home