AROUND 50 protesters opposing a 1,000-home super estate in Westhoughton were told to steel themselves for a two-year fight last night.

The residents, who turned out in force to pack Westhoughton town council chambers, were warned the debate would go all the way to the Secretary of State for the Environment for final decision.

The plan to build 1,000 houses at Lee Hall, south of Park Road between Lee Bank Park and the disused Chequerbent railway, was condemned as "greedy".

Cllr Eric Hyland, Bolton councillor for Hulton Park ward, said: "I don't think anybody is going to be fooled by promises of benefits.

"It's pure and simple greed - the owner wants to cash in his land."

Town councillors said the developer would appeal to the secretary of state should the plans be rejected at local level.

Cllr David Wilkinson said: "These people are not going to pack in overnight.

"But we've never had this depth of feeling from residents against something before. "If we can all stick together, we can make a change."

Residents are opposed on grounds that the town is already choked with traffic and that much needed open space would be built over.

A proposed by-pass for Westhoughton promised by developers was condemned as "a giant cul-de-sac" which would not go all the way past the town.

Resident Tommy Howarth, of Fairhaven Avenue, said: "The quality of life in Westhoughton has gone way down in the past 20 years. It's just been built on and built on.

"We've had more than our fair share. The town just cannot take any more."

He told town councillors he took his visually impaired son for walks on the fields were the proposed development lies.

He said: "It's an area he can play on. If that's taken away, there's nothing left.

"It's the only green belt around where we live."

Town councillors voted unanimously to recommend rejection of the plans which will go before Bolton borough councillors in the next few months. Town councillors also voted to ask Bolton Council to put a bar on development of a piece of council-owned land between the proposed development site and the main A6 road.

Town councillors believe the bar on building on the recreation land could hamper the Lee Hall development.

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