THE first stage of a major 17-acre business park close to Bury town centre has been approved.

The Chamberhall site off the A56 Peel Way will be changed into a “high quality” business park which it is claimed will create up to 400 jobs.

Regeneration specialists St Modwen say the development will address a shortage of modern business space in Bury and help to attract more companies to the town.

Five buildings, access roads and landscape work can now begin as Bury Council planning committee approved the first phase of construction on Tuesday night.

St Modwen spokesman, Annabel Partridge told councillors there has already been strong interest in the site.

She said: “The scheme will deliver a 20-year aspiration from the council to bring the Chamberhall site forward for employment-led development so it can contribute to the proposed economy and create in the region of 200-400 jobs.”

The planning committee approved the application, but four councillors voted against the plans.

Cllr Jackie Harris objected because she did not believe the financial contributions the developer would make to the council was high enough.

Under the proposals, St Modwen must contribute £30,000 towards tree planting in the borough to compensate for the trees that will be removed.

She said: “The amount of money that the developer should be paying to the council is outrageously small.”

Cllr Yvonne Wright objected to the application because, she said, the site should be used to build housing. She said the recently revised Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) suggested building homes on green belt land.

She said: “This is almost 17 acres on brownfield land on the periphery of the town centre owned by the council. I can’t possibly support this. The timing is ironic.”

After the meeting, Labour councillor Jamie Walker said: “Again the Conservatives talk about building on brownfield first but when a brownfield application comes up, they have refused it.”

In the first phase industrial units ranging from 2,500 to 24,000 sq ft will be developed.

Plans for the next phase need to be finalised before being given the go ahead.