ALMOST 50 years ago my wife and I got married and we decided to buy a house in Astley.

We were told by the estate agent at the time this would be the last estate built in Astley. What a myth this turned out to be.

We could walk out of our estate into green fields. This didn’t last long.

Now Astley is joined up to Tyldesley. How long will it be before it is joined up to Leigh?

I have just heard that permission has been given for 600 houses to be built on land behind the Applewood Farm restaurant on Manchester Road.

Then there is the permission given to Fred Done to knock down the Rendevous club across the East Lancs Road and rebuild it together with a lot of luxury apartments.

I would think that this would mean a minimum of 600 extra cars.

Astley is already gridlocked at rush hour and it looks like the East Lancs Road could become the biggest car park in the country.

The guided busway is no use to the people in the bottom part of Astley and the people who live on the other side of it in the original Astley Green.

The councillors and the MP should be thinking of these people who they represent and start building roads to get the traffic to and from all these new houses that they are happy to give permission for so they can get more council tax.

Car owners pay car tax to use the roads. It appears that bus companies are given council backing to take over part of the roads.

It would be a good idea to take the bus lane off the East Lancs Road and give it back to the motorists to stop the massive diversions they now have to take to get to places.

It appears that the councils have given the bus companies permission to drive the motorists off the road.

Manor Road and Brook Drive used to be a quiet estate.

Now at rush hours it is used as a cut through and at times it is like a race track.

Sooner or later there is going to be an accident.

So come on councillors, do the job you were elected to do for the people of Astley.

And how many of these new houses are affordable homes like the government said would be built?

Brian Seddon

Manor Road

Astley