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Anger as firm expands without planning permission

BBC Photograph of land being used without planning permission in the Stoneclough area of Bolton.BBC
FI Real Estate Management has built on the land without planning permission

Families have been left "appalled" that a commercial property firm has begun operating on nearby land without planning permission, a residents association has said.

FI Real Estate Management, which runs industrial estates around England, has expanded its offices at the Europa Trading Estate in the Stoneclough area of Bolton, Greater Manchester.

Bolton Council said it had requested the company ceases carrying out any more work and does not use newly installed storage containers - insisting it must apply for retrospective planning permission.

The firm told the BBC it was "liaising closely with the council".

The land was a green space until the summer, when a hard surface was installed and shipping containers were moved on to the site.

A photograph of Sarah Walker, who lives near the Europa Trading Estate in the Stoneclough area of Bolton.
The company has erected a fence behind Sarah Walker's home in Stoneclough

Sarah Walker, 64, chairwoman of the Side o'th' Green Residents Association, said: "The field was lush and green. It was a lovely view and we used to have wildlife."

The firm has also put up a wooden fence at the back of Ms Walker's home in Sulby Street.

She continued: "We don't have any kind of view from our downstairs windows.

"Its like being in a prison exercise yard. I'm absolutely appalled. It's horrendous compared to how it was".

Sarah Walker Photograph of land behind Sulby Street in Stoneclough - before the land was developed without planning permissionSarah Walker
The land in Stoneclough was an open field until the summer of 2024

Bolton Council confirmed it had been talking to the firm to explain the need for planning permission.

The authority has also formally requested it does not install any additional infrastructure.

The council said it is now waiting for a retrospective planning application which will be considered in line with the usual national guidance.

A spokesperson for F1 Real Estate Management said: "We are liaising closely with the council to ensure all the requirements associated with the current application are met, along with a tree planting solution which, when agreed, will be discussed with residents in due course."

Photograph of the front of the Europa Trading Estate in Bolton
The Europa Trading Estate in Bolton is operated by FI Real Estate Management

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