NATURE enthusiasts will get a real bird's eye view if a tree top walkway springs up in Worsley.

The 12-metre high route, the biggest in the UK and the only one in the North-west, will be part of the new Salford Forest Park to the south of Worsley, if it gets planning permission.

Visitors will stroll among canopies of pine, oak, and beech trees that make up Greater Manchester's largest woodland at the attraction, which will be built by property developer Peel Holdings.

It will be modelled on the world's most famous tree top experience, the Tingle Shelter in Western Australia, which at some points rises to 40 metres.

Pauline Randall, partner at Randall Thorp, which is planning the project, said: "Walking high up in the tree tops will be a new experience for visitors. There's no better way to get close to nature, looking birds straight in the eye while the wind whistles past your head."

Peel Holdings also plans to create an eco-village and woodland visitor centre.

Part of the site would be kept as a reserve for herons and it is hoped rare species like the red squirrel would be attracted back to the area.

The park is part of proposals for the larger development by Peel Holdings, near Worsley, which includes a racecourse and which has attracted objections from neighbours.

But Phillip Rothwell, project manager at Peel Holdings, said: "This and other build development accounts for only 0.05 per cent of the total site area included in the plans."

The full planning application has just been submitted to Salford Council.