BETWEEN 150 and 200 angry residents opposed to in-fill work being carried out on a disused lodge near their homes in Bury discussed ways of attempting to "block" the planning application submitted to the Council by the owner.

They labelling him as being "arrogant, unscrupulous, a villain and a vandal" during a heated meeting held last Wednesday at Walmersley Conservative Club.

The site at the centre of the row is the old Taylor Nicholson lodge off Mather Road which local people say should be left alone as it is a haven for wildlife, teeming with fish, wild animals and birds.

But the owner, Patrick Robert Slattery of Windacre, Mather Road, says that he wants to in-fill the lodge to reduce its water depth from 16 feet to three, making it safer for children, to provide roosting areas for wildlife and to relieve the strain on the dam wall from the pressure of water.

"All I am trying to do is to preserve MY lodge from rack and ruin. The lodge was built in the 1800s and its banks are beginning to crumble," said Patrick.

"As far as I'm concerned the local residents have got it all wrong and if any of them had bothered to meet me face to face perhaps they would understand my point of view.

"I am totally responsible for the lodge. That includes everything from the safety aspects to its maintenance, and if nothing is done soon to preserve it, and the dam bursts again, it will fall into a state of disrepair which will incur costs beyond my means.

"I must say that I am absolutely appalled and disgusted about the personal attack being made about my character and that I am also very disappointed that none of the residents had the bottle to invite me to their secret meeting; which I find extremely sneaky and underhand.

"However, I believe that the residents concerned will be meeting again in the near future.

"I must say that I would be delighted to attend and, given the opportunity, be able to put my points of view across as well as being able to defend my character."

Other main points of concern were the fears of the site turning into a household rubbish dump outside their back doors.

And worries about the noise, mess and possible structural damage to homes that could be caused by more than ten heavy goods lorries a day using Mather Road for access to and from the site.

Because residents chose a "politically insensitive" place for their meeting - organised by Tory Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Bob Bibby - they are having to find a "neutral venue" before May 22, on the advice of an ex-planning official.

Planning officials were invited to the meeting, but didn't turn up.

A former planning official said this could have been because the meeting was being held at the Conservative Club.

Councillor Sean Cassidy who was in attendance said: "You should demand councillors to have a site visit, and once they see how beautiful the area is, I'm sure they will support you."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.