PLANS to build a 600-home "super estate" in Westhoughton have been approved by Bolton Council's planning committee.

Two separate planning applications to build a total of 583 homes on the Carnaud Metalbox site at Chew Moor were met with unanimous approval at Thursday's meeting.

There has been fierce objection by residents to the applications by Barratt Manchester to build 377 houses on the brownfield site and by Wimpey Homes to build a further 117 residential properties.

They claim the town's roads, schools and doctors' surgeries would struggle to cope with so many extra families in the area. Speaking on behalf of Save Westhoughton Act Now, chairman David Chadwick said: "Growth on this scale will only serve to increase existing problems with traffic congestion, lack of secondary education and a shortage of doctor's surgeries.

"There have been 395 houses built in Westhoughton between April 2003 and March 2004 and under government guidelines there are enough new homes in Bolton for the next six years."

As part of the plans the developers have agreed to provide substantial financial contribution towards education, they also plan to offer an area of land to the Primary Care Trust for a new surgery and have included areas of open land in their plans.

Speaking at yesterday's meeting, Westhoughton councillor David Wilkinson said: "We need more affordable housing in Westhoughton and this promises to offer that.

"Whilst it brings a lot of problems, for the first time in a long time we have a developer who is bringing something positive to Westhoughton.

"We have to face facts, we could leave a brownfield site to sit there and rot or we bite the bullet and allow 500 houses on there which protects the Green Belt land in Westhoughton."

Cllr Andy Morgan said: "This development is going to take five years to build so it will not appear over night.

"While I do have concerns over traffic there are some significant benefits, such as the provision of space for a surgery."

Councillors approved both applications, but voted to delegate the final decision to the planning director.