OUTLINE planning permission on the construction of 115 new homes on the site of a former university halls of residence has been agreed.

The estate would include 17 affordable homes and would take the place of the Hollins Halls, in Radcliffe Road.

This new outline application for the 3.19-hectare site proposes replacing the three vacant three-storey blocks with a mixture of one to three-bedroom flats and houses as well as a three-storey apartment block.

In addition, Bolton Parish School is due to relocate to the same site after the council approved an application for a new primary school and nursery earlier this year.

As part of the proposals the developer has committed to giving £233,717 in contributions to primary school education, and £244,966 to secondary education, as well as £72,348 to fund on-site public art.

The University of Bolton, which owns the site, previously applied to build 185 homes on its former Chadwick Street campus but withdrew the application in October last year.

Four residents objected, mainly over traffic concerns on the site.