Holcombe Tower: Plans to stream views from Peel Monument
Peter Moore/Geograph Plans to share the stunning views from the top of the historic Holcombe Tower with the world by mounting a webcam on its flagpole have been submitted.
The 128ft (39m) tower near Ramsbottom boasts views of about 20 miles across Greater Manchester and Lancashire.
The Manchester and Salford city skylines, Bury, Winter Hill, Rossendale valley and the West Pennine moors can all be seen from the tower, which is also known as Peel Monument.
It has Grade II listed status.
The proposals submitted to Bury Council said a live stream would boost visitor numbers to the town.
The planning application said the move would also especially help those who "cannot traverse the steep path and then the stairs up the tower, including disabled people".
It said the cameras were not set to record so no personal data would be captured.
Cameras would be the fitted on the flagpole so that they do not attract vandals.
A heritage assessment on the plans concluded that mounting the cameras would have "a neutral impact on the listed building", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
The landmark, on Harcles Hill known locally as Holcombe Hill since it is close to the village of the same name, was built between 1851 and 1852.
It was erected to honour Sir Robert Peel, who founded the police force and was prime minister twice. He was born in Bury in 1788.
When it was built, a year after Peel's death in 1850, the monument cost about £1,000 to erect - the equivalent of about £107,000 in today's money.
The stone used was quarried from an area immediately behind the tower, and the remains of that quarrying can still be seen.
A portion of Peel's resignation speech was carved into marble and is mounted inside the tower.
A Bury Council planner will now decide on whether to grant listed building consent.
