Daily Mail

Appeal planned after Bolton’s Ryder Cup snub

- By MIKE KEEGAN Sports News Correspond­ent

THE DEVELOPERS behind plans to bring the Ryder Cup to Bolton are to appeal, after local politician­s rejected their £250million proposal. In October, Sportsmail reported that an ambitious plan had been hatched to bring one of the world’s major sporting events to the Lancashire town in 2031. The venue made it down to the final two English bids, with only the London Club standing in its way. However, the plan, which included homes, a golfing academy, allotments and a village hall, were rejected by councillor­s due to fears over its impact on greenbelt land. Now, developers Peel L&P say they will appeal against the decision and they remain committed to the project. They point out that Bolton council approved original plans in 2018 before rejecting what they have described as ‘a much-improved proposal’ in February ‘before the local elections’. Peel L&P claim the proposals are worth £1.6billion to the local economy and would create 1,000 jobs over 20 years at Hulton Park, which would be open to the public for the first time. The project is conditiona­l on Bolton winning the rights to host the competitio­n in 2031 or 2035. Richard Knight, director of planning and strategy at Peel L&P, said: ‘We already have planning permission to redevelop and restore Hulton Park following the Secretary of State’s approval in 2020 so we were very disappoint­ed that Bolton Council refused our revised and improved scheme as it takes on board more local feedback and is a once in a generation opportunit­y to invest in Bolton and level up the region.’ An appeal to the Planning Inspectora­te is likely, with a public inquiry set to follow.

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