A HOUSING development in Horwich has been given the green light following a public inquiry.

Despite Bolton Council's planning officers' recommendation that permission be granted for the housing development off Crown Lane, the application from the Trustees of the 1951 R E Morley Settlement was turned down by councillors in March.

The council had argued that the proposed development conflicted with Bolton's Unitary Development Plan because the site was allocated for employment purposes and the land should be kept for industrial use.

But following a two-day public inquiry, Government planning inspector Clive Whitehouse has ruled that planning permission should be allowed and the 50 houses can now be built.

The planning inspector allowed the appeal after considering the wide availability of industrial land in the area and the fact that a scheme for 141 houses near Star Lane had received planning permission at the same time as the Crown Lane site was rejected by the Council.

Mr Whitehouse considered a report from the Director of Environment which said there was an over-supply of industrial land in the borough. He also pointed to the number of houses already near the site as a potential deterrent to industrial and warehouse developers settling there.

Highway safety was raised at the public inquiry, but all parties were in agreement that Crown Lane and its junctions have more than adequate capacity to accommodate the projected traffic flow.

Mr Whitehouse imposed several conditions, including a survey to check for the presence of bats and voles in the area after concerns from local residents.

He also wants measures to deal with the potential for flooding along Pearl Brook and an investigation into the state of the nearby landfill site.