RAMSBOTTOM residents have been handed a major boost in their bid to protect an historic piece of land.

Ramsbottom Heritage Society has secured a tree preservation order for Church Fields ­— land which has been fenced off by owners Peel Holdings since 2011.

The measure, which has been granted by Bury Council, is an extension of an existing order covering nearby Crow Lumb Wood.

It is hoped the measure will stop development on the land, which the society claims has been used by local people for at least 200 years.

Peel Holdings dispute the history of the site, saying the earliest map of Ramsbottom, which was drawn when the Grant family bought land in the town in 1806, names it as Hall Common.

In 2014, the society attempted to secure town or village green status for Church Fields, but their application was rejected following a public inquiry.

They claim that Church Fields, which includes several acres of wood and grassland close to Ramsbottom town centre, was widely used by walkers, dog walkers, blackberry pickers, birdwatchers, and for a whole host of leisure pursuits before the fence was put up.

Andrew Todd from Ramsbottom Heritage Society said: "With this protection, Peel Holdings must seek permission to cut down, top, lop, uproot, wilfully damage, or wilfully destroy any tree on the protected site, whatever its size or species.

"We believe that this order extends a whole new level of protection to Church Fields, and will be very difficult to overturn in any planning application for building."