THE controversial 300-home plan for Horwich Golf Club has been unanimously opposed by the town council.

The meeting on Thursday night was packed with residents and councillors, all of whom objected to Peel's planning application.

Several people spoke against the proposal at the Public Hall meeting, including Cllr Richard Silvester, who represents Horwich North East on Bolton Council.

He said: "I am objecting to this application. My main reason is that the golf course is designated protected open space.

"Bolton Council's local plan only lists limited reasons for why such classification of land can be developed and I do not believe that Peel's proposals qualified any of those reasons.

"As you have heard, local residents have legitimate and major concerns about the amount of extra traffic that will be generated because of this proposal."

Members of the Stocks Park Residents Association were also present and chairman Malcolm Harrison spoke against the plans.

He said: "Currently Horwich is undergoing a rapid development. We have had a lot of applications in the recent past. We have got more than 2,000 new homes on the cusp of being delivered.

"We feel that Horwich, while Bolton has not met its housing demand, is well ahead of the game in meetings its requirements.

"I can not see how the existing services will be able to cope. We are effectively going to have a 22 per cent increase in the size of the town with all the developments."

Members of the town council's planning committee were in agreement with the comments made and voted to recommend the plans for refusal.

Cllr Stephen Rock, town mayor, said: "The whole fabric of the town is being destroyed.

"I know people need housing but we do not have the infrastructure in place. It is going to be too late.

"Enough is enough. We have enough houses in the town. There's plenty of space in Bolton. Why don't they build in Leverhulme Park or Queens Park?"