Plans for a £414 million scheme to build a course for one of golf’s most prestigious events in Bolton have been rejected.
The plans – which were drawn up in current form by developers Peel L&P back in 2018, but have been in the works for longer and have been the subject of much local controversy ever since – proposed that a “championship-grade” golf course would be built on the historic Hulton Park site to become a host destination for 2031 Ryder Cup.
As well as the golf course, the wider Hulton Park development looked to become a community hub and was proposed to include a total of 1,036 homes, a primary school, short stay holiday accommodation, a hotel, conference centre, and a village hall.
But all except once Councillor voted against the plans yesterday.
Bolton Council were said to have refused plans for the development expressing concerns around the environment, the impact on green belt land, congestion, and the quality of jobs in the area, while opposition campaigners called it a “housing project in golf clothing”.
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Peel L&P’s revised plans to restore and redevelop Hulton Park into a sport & healthy living destination were today refused by Bolton Council’s Planning Committee, going against a Secretary of State approval of a prior, less beneficial scheme for the area.https://t.co/wtrJy2Xf6Wpic.twitter.com/6NxGuJ5RxC
Dozens of objections were received by the Council since the plans were first submitted.
Over the course of the three hour meeting yesterday, the committee heard from both supporters and opponents of the plan.
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“The golf course devastates a large area of land and brings a thousands plus house and some of the issues if they’re not dealt with at planning level brings more problems to us as Westhoughton people,” said Cllr David Wilkinson, who represents Westhoughton South.
“I’m sorry it’s a vanity project,” he added.
Independent Cllr Martin McMulkin said the plan “is not going to address the levels of deprivation in that part of the borough”, and added that golf is “not and never will be a sport of the working class.”
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Plans to build a course for one of golf’s most prestigious events in Bolton have been rejected / Credit: Peel L&P
Cllr Martyn Cox – Leader of Bolton Council – said the plans would “too impactful” on greenspace, while Labour leader Nick Peel said that the council’s lack of “corporate” support for a Ryder Cup bid also undermined the proposal.
Local campaigners against the plans – which notably included Westhoughton-born actress Maxine Peake – also told the planning committee meeting the development would cause significant environmental damage, with protester Phil Wood claiming once the Ryder Cup was over, the developer would build more houses on the land.
Historian Elaine Taylor too urging councillors to preserve the Grade II-listed Georgian park and its surrounding landscape.
On the flip side, speaking in favour of the development, CBI North West’s Damian Waters said it represented a “once-in a generation opportunity to transform the Bolton economy”, and the University of Bolton’s president Prof George Holmes said it would bring “prosperity to the town and much-needed national and international attention”.
The planning committee also heard from former Ladies European Tour golfer Sophie Walker, who said watching the Ryder Cup in Paris had been the “best sporting experience” of her life, and bringing it to Bolton would “inspire” people to play golf.
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All except once Councillor voted against the plans yesterday / Credit: Peel L&P
Following the rejection of the proposals, Richard Knight – Director of Planning and Strategy at Peel L&P – said Bolton has “quite possibly missed out on the biggest investment in its history”.
He continued: “Bolton Council had approved the previous scheme and encouraged us to make positive changes, but it has done a U-turn at the last hurdle [and] it is hard to comprehend.
“Evidently, very localised opposition has taken priority over the potential benefits for Bolton.
“Since 2018, we have worked hard with local residents and stakeholders in order to adapt our proposals to reflect the community’s aspirations for the site with less homes on greenbelt land and a range of facilities including a new school, health and wellbeing hub public trails and transport improvements.”
Peel L&P now has a right to appeal the decision.
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The developer’s appealing of the decision could lead to a public inquiry, with the final say on the project being left to the secretary of state – however, a decision on the host for the 2031 Ryder Cup is expected in July.
Featured Image – Peel L&P
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Oasis finally confirm ‘private ballot’ ticket information for reunion tour
Daisy Jackson
Oasis have just announced more information about how tickets will be sold through a ‘private ballot’ for their extra reunion tour dates.
The group added two additional shows at Wembley Stadium after their initial 17 gigs across London, Manchester, Dublin, Edinburgh and Cardiff generated huge demand and sold out in a day.
Oasis and Ticketmaster came under fire though for the use of dynamic pricing, which saw ticket prices shoot up by hundreds of pounds by the time people made it through the online queues.
For these additional reunion tour dates at Wembley, ticket sales will look a little different.
They’ll be using a ‘private ballot’, which will give first dibs to those who missed out on the first ticket sale.
You’ll only be invited to register for the sale if you signed into your Ticketmaster account on Saturday 31 August, and joined a queue for a specific show.
And you’ll only receive an invitation if you DIDN’T manage to bag tickets the first time round.
THEN you’ll be able to register for the actual ballot, which still doesn’t guarantee you a ticket but does at least get you into a (hopefully less lengthy) queue.
“Invitations to enter the private ballot will be sent overnight tonight (Saturday) to eligible fans we have been able to identify.
“If you signed into your Ticketmaster UK account on Saturday, 31st August, and were able to join a queue for a specific show, but didn’t get a ticket-then you may be eligible to take part and will receive an email on how to register for the ballot.
“Keep an eye on the inbox associated with your Ticketmaster account, and don’t forget to check your junkmail.
“Once successfully registered, you will be entered into the ballot for a code for access to the final Wembley on sale.
“Due to the demand for the shows and to avoid last week’s long queues, codes will be strictly limited. Entry to the ballot does not guarantee you will receive a code.
“The ballot is only open to invited fans. You must register with the email to which your invitation was sent and which is registered with your Ticketmaster account.
“All other entries will be discounted. If you do not receive an email then unfortunately you will not be eligible for the ballot.
“You will be automatically discounted from the ballot, even if you go through the registration process.”
Featured image: Simon Emmett
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Manchester Airport named UK’s worst in annual Which? survey for third year running
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has officially been declared the worst airport in the UK, according to a new survey by Which?… yet again.
The summer travel season may be drawing to a close now, with hundreds of flights having taken off and landed in our region over the last couple of months, but for any Greater Manchester holidaymakers who are still yet to jet off, an annual ranking by consumer choice group Which? has proved to be pretty grim reading.
That’s because several terminals at the UK’s third largest airport have found themselves at the bottom of the list in Which? latest findings.
Manchester Airport has hit back at the survey and defended itself, saying its own passenger surveys suggest people are “much more positive” about the airport, adding that it was “proud to give people in all parts of the North easy and affordable access to nearly 200 different destinations across the world”.
For its annual survey, Which? spoke to nearly 7,000 passengers to gather feedback about their experiences of flying from UK airports over the last 12 months, and asked them to score the airports across 11 categories.
Manchester Airport has been named the worst in the UK for the third year running / Credit: The Manc Group
Some of these categories including seating, staff, toilets, and of course, the queues we all dread at check in, bag drop, passport control, and security.
And just like in both 2022 and again in 2023, it was Manchester Airport Terminal 3 that ranked right at the bottom, receiving the lowest customer satisfaction score of 37%.
Manchester Terminal 1 ranked one place above that with a score of 40%, while Manchester Terminal 2 was a little further up the the list with a score of 51%, and just saw Luton Airport, London Stansted, and Belfast International Airport sandwiched in between it.
According to Which?, some of the complaints it received about Manchester Airport from passengers who responded to the survey this year was that older people struggled with long walks due to travelators being broken since 2021, difficulties with finding a seat, and “horrendous” queues with people apparently being “corralled like cattle”.
As mentioned though, Manchester Airport has slammed Which?’s findings in a formal statement.
The UK’s third largest airport has hit back at the survey results and defended itself / Credit:
Describing the survey as “disappointing to see”, Manchester Airport’s statement reads: “We understand not every experience is perfect and want all passengers to feel able to raise their concerns directly with us. That is why we speak to them on a daily basis, surveying hundreds of people a month to get in-the-moment feedback from a full range of perspectives.
“That is in stark contrast to Which?, which conducted a tiny and unrepresentative survey of its members six months ago, asking them to recollect airport experiences that could have been as far back in time as April 2023.
“Which? fully understands that its readers form a narrow group of passengers whose views cannot in any way be taken to represent those of the travelling public at large, but chooses to promote its survey findings as if they do.”
Manchester Airport says it’s disappointing see Which? “chase cheap headlines” with its “sensational and over-simplified characterisation of airports” and the different roles they play, adding: “To make matters worse, it has printed inaccurate statements about our facilities and security waiting times that paint a more negative picture than reality.
Emily Sergeant -
25th February 2022 
