Westhoughton town councillors are set to give the go-ahead on Monday for a referendum to be held on a 1,100-home "super estate" plan. Residents will be asked whether they want any more houses built in the town, which has experienced massive development over the last 20 years.

If there is an overwhelming "no" vote in the ballot, it would be used to strengthen the case against a planning application which had been submitted to build a 1,100-home estate at Lee Hall.

The land is at the back of Park Road, which is already clogged with traffic at busy commuter routes.

And residents all along Park Road have posters with No Lee Hall in their windows. Now town councillors want to find out whether the strength of opposition is shared by the rest of Westhoughton's 16,000 electorate.

Town council officials have checked that they can legally carry out the referendum.

And at a meeting of Westhoughton town council's planning committee on Monday night, councillors will be asked to support the move.

Westhoughton Liberal Democrat town Cllr David Wilkinson said: "People will be asked whether they want any more housing in Westhoughton."

The Lee Hall application is likely to go before Bolton's planning councillors in early April and a referendum would need to be held before then.

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