A CONTROVERSIAL plan for a nine-hole golf course in Radcliffe has been given the go-ahead by town planners. The news comes as a blow to local residents, who launched a campaign to block the application to restore the Tower Farm landfill site at Sandford Street. They feared the site at Radcliffe E'es could be dangerous, as it was once used as a dumping ground for low-level radioactive X-ray plates from hospitals, asbestos and other toxic materials.

Now applicants Anthony Construction have been given permission for the company NSR to build the golf course on top of 700,000 cubic metres of waste.

The development, which will see the restoration of the whole site, will also incorporate a cricket pitch with changing rooms, club house, leisure facilities and a car park.

Last week objectors to the scheme, including representatives from nearby Radcliffe Hall CE and Methodist Primary School, met councillors in a bid to get the scheme scrapped.

A statement from the school's governing body read: "We and the children have only one chance at their education.

"We have 48 registered asthmatics at our school whose lives will be affected by dust and fumes from the site and vehicles tipping waste.

"Don't allow yourselves and Bury Council to be responsible for children failing to achieve their potential or being injured or killed as a result of this application."

However, there were no objections from the environmental health department, and the plans were approved subject to conditions concerning the control of noise, dust, hours of deliveries and the nature of infill materials and landfill gas.

Chairman of Bury's planning control sub-committee, Cllr Julie Higson said: "There have been a lot of tears shed over this land.

"If it is left, then concerns of the residents over its state will remain. Something needs to be done with it." Storm at

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