FORMER university halls of residence near Bolton town centre will be knocked down to make way for a new housing development.

Plans to build 81 houses at the site of Hollins Halls of Residence in Radcliffe Road have been given the green light by town hall bosses.

A combination of detached and semi-detached houses are set to be built at the former University of Bolton.

The Bolton News understands that work at the site has already started.

The first 15 houses are expected to be ready by April 2020, a further 40 by April 2021 and the remaining 26 by the end of 2021.

Rowlands Homes submitted the latest plans months after councillors granted outline planning permission for 115 flats to be built at the site.

The initial plan proposed 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.

The university applied to build 185 homes on its former Chadwick Street campus but withdrew the application in October last year.

Bolton Parish School is also due to relocate to the same site after plans were approved earlier this year.