A GARDEN centre has been given three months to remove controversial polytunnels.

Hollands Nurseries, in Darwen Road, Bromley Cross, uses the polytunnels to protect stock during the winter months.

The garden centre lost its long-running planning battle to keep the polytunnels last year, but appealed against Bolton Council’s decision.

That appeal has now been rejected by the planning inspectorate, and the centre has been given another 90 days to remove the tunnels permanently.

The row over Hollands Nursery has been on going for years, with residents in the area arguing that the land, part of the former Birtenshaw estate, was protected by a 75- year-old covenant.

The polytunnels were previously given the green light as a temporary measure, but should have first been removed last March.

A new application gave the polytunnels a stay of execution, but this was rejected in October last year.

A Bolton Council spokesman said: “An enforcement appeal was received on December 29 last year.

“The planning inspectorate dismissed that appeal on March 7 and Hollands Nurseries now has until June 6 to remove the polytunnels.”

Residents won a victory in the 1980s when a High Court judge ruled the covenant should be upheld. Although it had been broken when housing developer Barratts built on 35 acres of land months earlier, the judge decided it was too late to stop that development.

Since then, residents have opposed a number of plans on the site, including Bromley Cross Football Club’s scheme to have 10 football pitches on the land for its junior teams.

Objector Simon Pearce said: “This makes an absolute mockery of supposedly strict planning control conditions.

Frankly, anything goes in Bolton.”

Hollands Nurseries was unavailable for comment.