UP to 1,500 jobs could be created at a new industrial estate in Westhoughton proposed by the company behind Logistics North.

Harworth Group submitted an outline application to build a development a quarter of the size of Logistics North on greenbelt land next to Wingates Industrial Park.

Based on the success of industrial estate in Over Hulton, the 1.1 million square feet proposed development is projected to create 1,500 jobs and put up to £100 million per year in Gross Value Added back into the Bolton economy.

If plans are approved, the development is expected to be built in five to ten years with jobs created as early as two years after planning consent is granted.

Iain Thomson, head of communications at Harworth, said: “We feel it’s an appropriate place to put in an employment centre. The fact is that Logistics North is running out of space. It’s gone better than everybody expected. It’s not ideal because it’s on greenbelt but it’s close to the motorway junction.”

He said that there is a “chronic lack” of available sites in the North West close to the motorway network.

Although the proposed site has not been actively promoted to businesses yet, the developer said that several enquiries for new space in the region have been made this year but none were accommodated.

Mr Thomson said: “We hope what we’re proposing can meet this pent-up demand.”

Logistics North occupies a site of 4 million square feet, but only two thirds of the space has been built on so far.

The majority of the remaining space is currently under construction, including a new Lidl distribution centre and the final of nine units being built with Lancashire County Pension set to open by the end of next year.

But councillors have already indicated their opposition to the plans as did many residents who attended an area forum meeting on Thursday night.

Westhoughton North and Chew Moor councillor Zoe Kirk-Robinson, described the proposal as an “unnecessary addition” to Wingates which currently has unused space.

As a member of the planning committee, the Westhoughton North and Chew Moor councillor will declare an interest in order to express her opinions about the application.

She said: “The impact on our roads would be substantial and the estate doesn’t have a sufficiently robust excuse for not implementing a new link road of their own to take their excessive traffic off our already overburdened road network.

"The additional jobs would be welcome, but these could be provided by intelligent re-working of the existing estate. I just want the encroachment on the green belt to stop.

"To that end, I intend to either find a deputy for the meeting or step out for this application and speak against it as a ward councillor.”

Her fellow Conservative ward councillor Christine Wild told the area forum meeting: “I want to make it clear that I oppose the plans because I oppose building on any greenbelt land, full stop.”

The developer said it has made a number of changes to the plans following public feedback presented during a consultation in the summer.

This includes reducing the maximum height of buildings and accommodating an increased landscape buffer along Chorley Road.

Westhoughton South councillor David Chadwick, who chaired the area forum meeting, also sits on the planning committee.

He said: “I’m restricted in what I can say because I am on the planning committee, but I will say that I have a proven track record of opposing those applications.

“We are not aware of any other plans to expand the application. But developers in these type of applications can be quite cute. They will submit an application piece meal, and this means we are not always fully aware of the true scale of these plans until later on.”

Now that the planning application has been submitted, residents can look over the plans and comment on the proposal by visiting the planning section of the Bolton Council website.