PLANS for 52 houses are among seven applications to be voted on at the first virtual planning committee meeting to be held via video conference.

Shaheen Developments’ proposal to build the dwellings within a gated area off Brandlesholme Road in Elton could be approved at the meeting next week.

The proposed development features 20 three-bedroom houses, 18 two-bedroom apartments, 10 five-bedroom houses, and four six-bedroom houses.

This is the third application associated with the site to be presented to Bury Council since 2011 and includes plans for 12 “affordable” housing dwellings.

Plans to expand Bambinos children’s nursery in Redvales are also on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting alongside five other planning applications.

This comes as council meetings begin again, albeit with many meetings still to be held virtually, for the first time since the coronavirus crisis commenced.

Following Wednesday’s meeting of annual council, all normal committee meetings will return, to be held online and live-streamed to the public.

Outgoing council leader David Jones announced that the council will continue to deliver the “vast majority” of services despite the town hall being closed.

He said: “While we hope that the situation will improve and we can get things back to normal we are being realistic about the challenge in front of us. We have adapted to balance service delivery with the safety of our staff, and remain and remain mindful we will be ‘living with COVID’ for many months yet.”

Among the applications on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting are plans to build a new house on green belt land in Whitefield and convert a house in Prestwich into a respite centre for people with mental wellbeing issues.

Applications to erect an agricultural storage building, retain a field shelter and pig arc, and replace a gate and gate post at a field in Holcombe, retain a welfare unit at Margaret Haes Riding Centre in Ramsbottom and replace stables in Howarths Farm, Bury will also be discussed at the meeting.

The largest application on the agenda is the proposed development of 52 houses off Brandlesholme Road.

The first application for a development at the same site, consisting of 18 flats and 39 houses, was approved by the local authority in June 2012.

Then in February 2015, a reserved matters application was submitted to the council, and approved in January 2016.

Now the plans have come before the council for a third time, requesting 52 dwellings and associated access.

The virtual planning committee meeting will take place at 7pm on May 26 and will be available to watch online at new.digitaltreemedia.co.uk/burycouncil/.