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A roundabout could be installed at a junction in Westhoughton as part of a long-running saga to develop a luxury golf course and more than 1,000 houses in Bolton. The Platt Lane junction is proposed to be turned into a roundabout to ‘allow for high traffic grows in the Bolton-Wigan corridor’ the most recent planning application details. The long-debated Hulton Park scheme, which aims to build a Ryder Cup level golf course at Over Hulton, was approved in 2022 when Government inspectors overruled Bolton Council .
Developers Peel L&P were given permission to start work on a small strip of land earlier this year. A recent planning application which was submitted earlier this month refers to a section of land between the proposed Park Avenue link road between the A6 beyond the boundary of Hulton Park and Platt Lane. The application states that: “The Hulton Park Permission provides a mechanism to deliver part of the long-aspired link road.
READ MORE: 'Crucial step' taken towards Hulton Park scheme in Bolton Bolton Council passes bid to keep Hulton Park plan 'alive' Work set to start on 'Ryder Cup' Hulton Park scheme “Park Avenue was conceived to: resolve significant existing congestions issues; provide access and capacity for development; contribute to Bolton and Wigan Council’s wider aspirations for growth and transport connectivity; and deliver active travel linkages. “Following detailed design considerations– including opportunities to enhance the route and operation of the link road– the Platt Lane junction is now proposed to take the form of a roundabout.” The proposed new roundabout has been designed with associated 2m-wide footway, 3-m adoptable cycleway and 3-m shared footway/cycleway.
It has also been designed to accommodate a fourth arm to the west to serve the approved residential development, but this is not included at this stage. The approved scheme also involves the construction of Park Avenue– a new c.3km strategic road between the A58 Snydale Way (which then connects to Junction 5 of the M61), crossing the A6 Manchester Road and connecting into North Road to the south of Green Common Lane and north of the existing railway line.
The new application notes that Park Avenue will deliver several road functions, including alleviating congestion and providing high quality and segregated footways and cycleways through the development. A three-metre noise bund with a three-metre barrier is also included in the application, which will be erected to the west along a section of Park Avenue. The application is concluded by a note from the applicant, who states that: “The approval of this application is required to safeguard the planning permission, and in turn support the Ryder Cup bidding process, which is critical to the delivery of the project and the realisation of the enormity of the benefits derived from the development.
” At what turned out to be a stormy meeting in January this year Peel was given permission to start work on the two-metre-long strip of road by Bolton Council’s planning committee by October. The allowed them to start work before a decision was taken on where the Ryder Cup will be hosted and was intended to prevent planning permission from expiring. The vote was carried by a majority despite protests from campaign group HEART and objections from ward councillor Fazeelah Khan as well as some of the committee members.
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