THE way is clear for a new industrial unit in Ainsworth Vale, despite concerns over heavy traffic.

Improvements will now be made to Vale Street after efforts to find a new route onto the site -- currently occupied by a concrete yard -- proved a dead end.

Plans for the brick and cladding building on elevated land to the north of Vale Mill were approved at a meeting of Bury's planning control committee on Tuesday.

Residents on Vale Street claimed that heavy lorries using their road to reach the site had caused damage to properties in the past.

Investigations were also made into an alternative route onto the land from across the borough boundary with Bolton on Bury New Road; however this is proving impossible.

However, the meeting was told that problems over land ownership and height differences between sites meant this was not possible.

Planning chairman Coun Tony Cummings said an industrial use for the site was already established, but that work to improve the road layout should take place.

He said: "We did see damage to the houses on our visit, and the concern is mainly to protect houses and the people coming out of them."

The plans were approved on condition that a new kerb line be installed to keep lorries away from homes.