A CONTROVERSIAL borough housing site that has triggered over-development concerns will have its fate decided next week.

A bid to build 24 houses on vacant land at Heath Lane in Lowton – adjacent to the East Lancs Road – has been recommended for approval by the town hall.

The scheme, submitted by construction firm Alderwood Homes, has attracted opposition from ward councillors who have raised concerns about the number of nearby housing schemes already given the green light.

It will therefore be decided by the council’s planning committee at its last meeting before the local elections.

The triangle-shaped site is bordered by Heath Lane, Stone Cross Lane North and the East Lancs (A580) and is close to a Bloor Homes development currently under construction.

A planning report tabled for committee members highlights that areas across Golborne and Lowton had been earmarked for approximately 1,000 homes as part of the borough’s long-term housing plans.

But as of January 2019, 1,213 homes have received planning approval on safeguarded land within the area since the council adopted its Core Strategy framework.

Ward councillors James Grundy and Ed Houlton have objected to the plans along with more than a dozen residents.

They cite concerns about the cumulative impact on infrastructure and the general over-development of the local area.

Issues with highway safety, air quality and objections to the character and design of the development have also been raised, according to the report.

Council officers say the land is safeguarded for development and would contribute to the local authority’s maintenance of its five-year supply of housing land.

And although there is a "degree of conflict" because of the amount of development in Golborne and Lowton, "the proposal complies in overall terms with the key development plan policy".

The land is designated as greenfield, or previously undeveloped land, which does not have the same protection as greenbelt.

A revised version of the plans includes a soul access point off Stone Cross Lane North. A second access off Heath Lane, which was part of initial blueprints, has been removed.

If approved, section 106 payments of £162,600 towards infrastructure improvements and £40,000 for off-site open space and play provision would be expected.

Six of the houses – which would be a mix of detached and semi-detached properties – will be affordable, the report adds.

Bloor Homes has already received permission to build 129 homes on land off Heath Lane, to the north east of the site, and construction is underway.

A separate application for the second phase of that development – including 68 properties – was submitted last year and is awaiting a decision.