FED-UP residents say they could be forced to park in Bolton town centre and catch a bus home in a yellow lines parking wrangle.

Home-owners on Chorley Street are now lobbying Bolton Council over plans to alter parking conditions.

As reported in the BEN, work has finally started on a £10 million David Lloyd tennis and fitness centre on the former Bolton Royal Infirmary site.

But nearby residents say that although they had been consulted on the development, no mention had been made about traffic restrictions.

Now, the householders are up in arms over plans to introduce double yellow lines.

Wasteland

They claim this could mean that they will be forced to park miles away.

One resident, who did not want to be named, said: "We came across the road plans accidentally.

"We welcome the development because when the infirmary was demolished, it was just a wasteland.

"But it seems ridiculous that Chorley Street has to be altered. It coped with the emergency ambulances and car traffic all day and night when the infirmary was open. When I first moved here 20 years ago, there were no restrictions.

"Now, we could be forced to park miles away because St George's Road and Chorley Old Road have yellow lines.

"We could be forced to park in town centre car parks - and catch a bus home!"

The angry locals now plan to liaise with their MP in a bid to get the road scheme changed.

The new private members' club, which will include seven indoor and outdoor courts as well as swimming pools, badminton and squash courts, is due to open in November.

No one was available to comment in Bolton planning department.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.