Public meeting to discuss proposed Kearsley motorway extension descends into chaos

More than 100 people attended the meeting at St John Fisher Church, in Manchester Road.

The meeting was stopped after an hour by Labour Councillor Liam Irving, who was chairing the event.

Bolton South East MP Yasmin Qureshi attended the meeting, along with UKIP Councillor Mark Cunningham and Farnworth and Kearsley First Councillor Julie Pattison.

Cllr Irving also threatened to stop the meeting abruptly several times throughout the course of the night due to the disorder.

The main topic of discussion at the meeting was the Department for Transport proposals for a major highway to be built - connecting the M61 to the M62 via a completely new stretch of road, branching out from the Kearsley Spur.

The extension is part of a wider project called the Manchester North West Quadrant Study, which could cost as much as £5.4 billion and aims to relieve pressure on the M60 between junctions 8 and 18.

This ‘Northern Corridor’ would involve creating a new curved section of motorway outside the circuit of the M60 that would extend the M58 from its junction with the M6 to create a new link with the M61 cutting through Westhoughton around junction 5.

Drivers would then travel down the M61 to the Kearsley Spur where a second extension would branch east across Kearsley and the southern section of Bury to meet the M62 east of junction 18.

Concerns were raised at a previous open meeting around three weeks ago, after the owners of Kearsley Golf Range, in Moss Lane revealed they had received a letter from Karen Molloy - Senior Project Manager at Highways England.

Ms Qureshi started discussing the point by saying she had been given a "mixture of information" and that she was coming to the meeting to find out what local residents have been told and their opinions, before meeting with the Transport Minister and Highways England.

She said: "It’s unclear what they’re doing.

“The information that I’ve had from the local authority is that nothing is going to be built, that they’re doing an evaluation and if anything happens it won’t be for another 10 years. So there’s a lack of clarity and details.

“I’m trying to get a meeting so that I can find out what’s happening because there seems to be a mixture of different information out there.”

Ms Qureshi was interrupted by a number of disgruntled residents.

One said "I don't believe for one minute that you don't know what's going on", another suggested that Ms Qureshi was "woefully underprepared" for the meeting and somebody else accused her of being a "career politician."

Following the latter comment, Cllr Irving said: "If you're going to get personal then I'll stop the meeting", which was met with more backlash and shouting from the crowd.

Cllr Irving also asked if anybody in attendance had received a letter from Highways England.

Anne Jones, 65, who has lived in Baker Street her entire life, said she had.

Mrs Jones said: “They’re contacting owners in the area where they may have an interest and they’re asking for permission to come on the land.

“I am worried and I don’t know what’s going to happen.

“They talk about air pollution on the motorway being over the limit, are they going to move that to us?”

Ms Qureshi said she had no concrete answers but promised to oppose any plans which would adversely affect the people of Kearsley.

She added: “I’m hoping that meeting will be in the next week or so and when I’ve had that I’ll come back and tell you what they’ve said.

“I’m afraid I’m not able to give you an affirmative answer one way or another but from the information I’m getting, there is some kind of plan to build some kind of extension, but where? I don't think they've planned it.

“Once we find out what’s happening, if people are not happy then we will fight it and campaign against it. You have my 100 percent backing on that.”