BOLTON Council has apologised after a controversial planning application in Blackrod was advertised under the wrong name.

Proposals have been submitted to the council for 14 industrial or commercial units at the industrial estate off Scot Lane by the land lords of the estate, James Industrial Ltd.

The plans have been criticised by Blackrod Town councillors because the units have already built, meaning that in their opinion the applicant should be applying for retrospective permission.

Other issues raised by councillors include concerns about access and sanitation on the site and that the plans were advertised with the wrong name on.

The planning department issued a public notice in The Bolton News stating the permission for the 14 commercial/industrial units had been applied for by Chamberlain Doors Ltd and not James Industrial Ltd, a business which operates on the industrial estate but has had nothing to do with the application.

The firm has operated on the estate for the past 40 years and its owner Roy Chamberlain said he was “very surprised” when residents asked him about the application.

The 63-year-old added: “I found out about the mistake when one of the residents who lives nearby asked what we were planning to build.

“So I checked on the planning site and saw the public notice with our name on it, I wrote to the council asking them to correct the mistake but I didn’t hear back.”

In total the planning portal has four separate documents which site Chamberlain Doors Ltd as the business behind the plans, including responses from the environment agency, the council’s planning department and united utilities.

Blackrod town councillor Mike Hollick said: “So this notice has gone out to the public and to companies like United Utilities with the wrong company name on, this is totally wrong and I don’t think the plans should be discussed until this mistake is corrected.”

After the Bolton News reported the situation to Bolton Council, the planning department has apologised to Mr Chamberlain and his firm and said they will correct the mistake.

A spokesman added: “This seems to have been an administrative error and we apologise for any confusion this may have caused.

“We haven’t received any complaints about the matter but we will re-consult to avoid any doubt.”

James Industrial Ltd was unavailable for comment.