Plans for state-of-the art new cricket grounds in Westhoughton have been given the go-ahead.

Westhoughton Cricket Club will move to new facilities off The Hoskers. The change has been made possible by funding from supermarket-giant Sainsbury’s, who will launch a brand new store on the current cricket club site, on Cricketers Way.

The supermarket, due to open in summer 2010, will create around 220 new jobs and provide more choice in a town dominated by the Co-op.

Despite this, it was inevitably one of the most controversial planning applications that Westhoughton has seen in recent years.

That’s why, the Liberal Democrat team surveyed residents for their views on the plans. We found four out of every five people who responded were in favour.

Many of those that said they were opposed were not against the idea of a new supermarket but would have preferred another brand.

Others were against the proposals because of the history of the club, extra traffic and concerns over three wind turbines on the site.

Westhoughton South ward councillor David Wilkinson backed the plans. He said: “The club wanted to move for years but was hindered by a lack of funding. Sainsbury’s have given the club a new lease of life.”

Local Labour politicians said that Westhoughton was well served by the Co-op and if there was to be another store it should be much smaller and somewhere else, despite Westhoughton’s population rocketing with thousands of new homes.

Your Liberal Democrat team supported the club’s application to move to a better site for cricket and shared facilities with Westhoughton Lions who have large numbers of local children playing Rugby League.

The only way for this to be funded is by the redevelopment of the current site and this is by Sainsbury’s, which we believe will improve the ability of local residents to shop in the town without having to travel, give a wider choice and to bring people back into the town.

As local councillors we realise that the approval of this plan has caused considerable upset to many, but we believe that we have supported the Cricket Club in their request to move for their interest and to support improved shopping in the town centre.