Vacant land can now be used as a garden as long as trees are protected after a key ruling at town hall last week.

The proposal aimed to change the use of a vacant plot of land just off Brae Crest on Victoria Road, Bolton, to allow it to be used as a domestic garden.

The land had been owned by the council and the plan was debated at a meeting of the authority’s planning committee last Thursday.

Addressing the committee, Cllr Andy Morgan, who represents Heaton, Lostock and Chew Moor, said: “Can we have a condition that the land is to be used for gardening?”

He added: “Because some of the concerns that have been raised with me is that the land could potentially be used for development.”

The Bolton News: The plans were debated at Bolton town hallThe plans were debated at Bolton town hall (Image: Newsquest)

The committee heard how many of the trees that had previously been on the site had been cut down but that some of them remained along the boundary with Victoria Road.

According to a council report, some of the remaining trees would need to be removed because of disease and safety issues.

Six letters of objection to the scheme had already been received from people living nearby, raising concerns about the loss of open land and the possible loss of the remaining trees.

But following consultations no further objections were received from the council’s highway’s authority, environmental health team or tree and woodland manager.

ALSO READ: Ruling made on new 7-day-a-week pizzeria promising 'authentic, high quality' meals

ALSO READ: Controversial plans for major scheme to build homes on football ground given go-ahead

ALSO READ: Developer buys up land as housebuilding project gets under way

Council officers had recommended that the committee approve the scheme for these reasons and because the a landscaping scheme had been proposed to replace the lost trees elsewhere.

At Thursday’s town hall meeting Cllr Roger Hayes, of Smithills, asked whether it was possible for conditions to be put in place before permission to redesignate the land was granted, given that it could potentially have been “a prime site for development.”

Cllr Debbie Newall, of Kearsley, said that she would support putting a tree protection order in place on the land to keep the trees that did not need to be removed in place.

The committee then voted to approve the move as long as conditions including the tree protection order were abided by.