Hundreds of residents in Worsley have made objections against a plan to build new homes on green belt land. Peel L&P has submitted a planning application to build 400 houses on Hazelhurst Farm, a large plot of green space between the M60 and East Lancs road. The firm hopes to create a new “walkable neighbourhood” in the village, with 56 per cent of the land being left undeveloped for public open space, retained woodland, and green corridors. In total, 370 objections have been made on Salford City Council’s planning portal against the plan. Salford council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority have proposed the land be allocated to residential development as part of the Places for Everyone Scheme – a region-wide plan to create new homes and jobs. This means it will lose its green belt status. Residents in the area told the Local Democracy Reporting Service why they are against the scheme going ahead. Dan Lahan, 39, who works in software, said: “You can see the state of the roads already here for traffic, but as soon as it gets big vehicles it’s going to be a nightmare. “The concerns are about more queues with us being close to the motorway already, there’s not really enough schools or provisions to cater for people, and green space in general is at a premium here. “It feels like a scam to me, they’ll put affordable houses in other areas so this is more of a money making thing.” The developer’s design statement stated that the proposed new community would have “housing choice and much needed affordable homes, with opportunities for younger and older people.” It also committed to providing “new and improved pedestrian and cycle connections” to public transport options, reducing the impact of traffic. However, residents shared concerns about whether the existing homes around the site could accommodate an increase in cars. Dan Burslam, 31, an IT manager, said: “I wouldn’t be too happy about it. I have a dog and it’s a great spot for walking. It’s good to be able to walk on the farm. In the summer there used to be a load of crops on it but I’m not sure what’s going on with the land now. “On the flip side, there does need to be more affordable housing in general, whether this will be or not I’m not sure. There are concerns about traffic and infrastructure in the estate, sometimes it can take 25 minutes to get out of the estate and this is one of the problems.” Rick Mather, 58, a designer, said: “I don’t want it here, I think it’s been overdeveloped and I think most residents around feel similar.” Peel L&P was contacted for comment.
