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Last Friday saw some angered residents of Bolton Old Road attend a meeting at Atherton Town Hall in uproar after a Bungalow is in process of being erected which is causing concern due to the sheer height of the property, along with the owners from the travelling community who are living on the site in mobile home accommodation, along with their also being stables with a pony on the site as well as a separate caravan which is also being used for people to live in.
Head of Planning and Transport Strategy for Wigan council Mike Worden was in attendance along with Atherton councillor Bob Splaine & MP Norman Bradbury. Residents of the properties affected by the situation on the land behind the Asda Supermarket store on Bolton Road are majorly concerned by the height of the property which exceeds normal levels of height restrictions owing to the property foundations being built up first, before the bungalow being built. The newly built bungalow which is being described as an “overly large eyesore and monstrosity” by some people has caused some concerned neighbours to complain about the lack of sunlight they are now experiencing in their own back yards due to the roof height. Other concerns include that of a retaining wall which is set to be a safety issue and in danger of collapse.
The owner whose property is being erected is apparently wanting to “settle down” so that his daughter can be put into a permanent schooling arrangement, however the timescale of the project is currently in question due to the lack of pace the building seems to be progressing. The Caravan which is also on the building site is causing major concern owing to a constant sound of a generator which is running throughout the night and being a disturbance, however this has been branded as an “Environmental issue” and shall therefore be dealt with and looked at separately to that of the concerns of the bungalow’s height.
The original planning application was submitted in 2006 and approved in 2009 with just 1 objection, which stated that the build would be a 3 bedroom bungalow with 2 parking spaces. A second application was apparently released in regards to the building plans, however neighbours are claiming that they never saw such a document and if they did would have objected to the new build. Building regulation have conducted a test on the bungalow and they concluded that the foundation levels and the general safeness of the build was fine, however due to further concerns brought up at the meeting... further checks shall need to be made. An amendment to the plans has been released and 1 window needs to be removed from the rear of the build as it was overlooking residents properties and was therefore a privacy issue, a door also needs to be moved as a result.
An elderley resident of Bradshaw Street whose property is right next to a main access road to where the newly built site is, branded the new neighbours as a “Nuisance” and that her daughter saw some of the new community gazing through her windows and branded it “frightening”
In a separate issue, 4 garages are located down the Bradshaw Street access road and another resident who owns one of the garages has been told by the house owner that he is going to knock down her garage, which she is now battling to stop and even seeking legal advise. Even though the resident in question doesn’t own the land the garage is on, she pays ground rent and the garage is hers. This apparent action was branded “illegal” by Norman Bradbury at the meeting and reassured her that this would be breaking the law if he was to do this.
I am one of the residents to be effected by this issue and I have been referring to it for the last couple of weeks in my column here at Atherton Online. This is the worst issue to affect the area since I moved in here 8 years ago and quite frankly is making a once quiet, elegant little road into a neighbourhood which is uncomfortable to live in by this sudden third party of idiots who are quite frankly making it unbearable to live in. At first, the sheer thought of somebody building a nice little bungalow on what was once effectively waste land were thugs used to hang out and cause arson sounded like an excellent idea... however quite frankly I would PREFER the odd minor fire every year than to live behind a monstrosity and a group of people who although I haven’t had the inconvenience of communicating with myself, I can see to be nothing more than irritating... if not more! I shall be following the battle as it progresses and I thank my fellow neighbours for all pulling together on an issue which from nowhere now seems to be getting out of control.
A further meeting shall be held, again this Friday at the Town Hall at 6pm with MP Julie Hilling in attendance.
Matt Howarth, This Week [VIEW HERE]
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