I WRITE further to your articles on the 'proposed' super estate in Westhoughton, and Cllr Kevn Jones' letter of December 8.

Unfortunately just like the Edges Farm development, this planning application will succeed on appeal (if not initially). This is because it probably satisfies the criteria set out in the Policy Guidance Section of Bolton's UDP, in that the developers are going to build the access road on to Chequerbent roundabout.

I also note that the special Westhoughton Town Council meeting on the matter will be closed to the general public, (so much for open government). Is this because Labour-controlled Westhoughton Town Council wishes to hide the fact that it is the UDP adopted by the Labour controlled Bolton MBC we have to thank for this application, which eventually in one form or another will succeed?

It always amazes me that the Westhoughton and Hulton Park Ward councillors may well object to such planning applications, and express surprise when they succeed. UNLESS Bolton MBC revises the UDP and places the land into greenbelt, these and similar planning applications will always ULTIMATELY succeed.

Of course this won't happen as who cares about Westhoughton anyway?

Derek John Gradwell

Bankside, Westhoughton

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