Campaigners take fight to stop Ryder Cup golf course on Bolton beauty spot to Downing Street
HEART say the proposals will threaten the environment at Hulton Park - and affect jobs
Residents in Bolton, fighting to protect a local beauty spot from redevelopment, have taken their fight to Downing Street.
Members of HEART - the Hulton Estate Area Residents Together - are hand-delivering 10,000 postcards to the Secretary of State for Communities, Sajid Javid.
They are demanding a public inquiry into the planning application to build a golf course and new homes on the site.
According to the group, the plans would destroy 236 trees, hectares of land and impact Hulton Park - a Grade II registered park and garden.
They say the application conflicts with national policy.
In a statement, the group say:
"The residents are outraged that this historic asset will be stripped. Building the golf course will dev-astate the rare Park and Garden designed by William Emes in the 18th century.
"The Estate has been farmed for 800 years but now the farmers will be kicked off, their homes demolished and animals slaughtered. One is an award winning dairy farmer who is licensed to bottle raw milk and his daughters now make award winning ice cream from the Ayrshire Cow milk. The other farmer is accredited to sell his beef to Sainsbury's and M & S among others.
"This magical place is a haven for rare creatures, flora and fauna. The Leigh Ornithological Society conducted regular surveys on the site over a ten year period. "
Peel, the group behind the redevelopment, said their planning application conformed to all policies.