A DECISION to extend operations at a quarry to 2042 is set to be quashed after a dramatic council Uturn.

Four action groups appointed a solicitor to take their case against a council decision to allow Armstrongs Aggregates an extension for activity at Pilkington Quarry on Makinson Lane, to judicial review.

But yesterday Bolton Council’s planning committee met privately to discuss the matter. The committee decided to quash permission for the extension of activity — and for the four action groups’ costs to be paid.

It also means Bolton Council will re-examine the 2042 application for activity again from scratch.

Steve Laycock, of the Blackrod and Horwich Environmental Action Group, said: “It suggests the arguments the groups have been making for the last 12 months prove to be correct.

“We are very pleased the councillors have listened to our concerns.”

A council spokesman said: “The planning c ommi t t e e requested the director of the chief executive’s department consent to permissions being quashed and to the payment of the claimant’s assessed costs. Thereafter the local authority will redetermine the 2042 applications afresh.”

Following the private meeting, the planning committee discussed another planning application for the quarry. This was to extend the quarry to yield 880,000 tonnes of quality block stone, two million tonnes of secondary aggregate by product and 280,000 tonnes of excess shale.

Horwich North East Cllr Barbara Ronson said: “I have had longterm concerns about the quarry, long before the present applicant.

“I have also had representations from residents outside the groups here.

“This area is very special to the people of Horwich.”

She said councillors were given further documents before the meeting and had not had time to read them and requested the meeting be deferred, which councillors agreed to.

A previous application to extract 1.4 million tonnes of stone and three million tonnes of mineral waste is going to a public inquiry next year.