I WRITE concerning "Trendyville" -- and the plans for Wallsuches Old Bleachworks, Horwich.

Save but one site visit, the project seems to be in the bag -- and with five letters of objection only, gives grounds for universal acceptance.

With upward of 600 projected traffic movements from this site daily, the majority will find their way down New Chapel Lane and Claypool Road to feed on the delights of Middlebrook and its surrounding conveniences.

Excluding match days, these roads are now "Premier Rat Runs".

Before Middlebrook and Reebok, a public iquiry was held where the developers and Bolton Council promised that these roads would "receive measures to address the worries of residents in the area".

This promise has clearly been overlooked, except for the "token" police presence on some match days, preventing these narrow roads becoming gridlocked.

Fear not. We have a promise to "consider" traffic calming measures along this route -- BEN August 20.

Two weeks ago, the BEN reported a discrepancy against the authority's Urban Development Plan, which exceeded the number of houses required to fulfil our needs by some 1,700.

With the capacity to say "No" to further development, it seems strange to me that our planning council should adopt such a dewy-eyed stance in favour of Wallsuches, which enjoys conservation status anyway.

I have been criticised in the past for suggesting that planning details are inadequately reported to the public. But consider this. Five votes against a mammoth proposal such as this plan, which will ultimately require the blessing of Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett, suggests the interested parties in Horwich did not know rather than did not care about this project.

P Smith

Buckingham Avenue

Horwich