“Abnormal costs” of major developments and the protection of green belt land across Bolton are set to come under closer scrutiny. This comes after Bolton Council passed two motions calling for the authority to do more to protect green belt land and to look closely the public funding going to town centre sites. The motions were put by Cllr John Walsh, of Astley Bridge, who warned that the government’s new target of 1,300 new houses being built every year in Bolton could put land at risk.
Cllr Walsh said: “Since July we’ve had a plethora of statements and press releases that the government will indeed increase housebuilding targets and will take over planning controls from councils which fail to meet their targets. “The government will force council therefore to meet those higher targets.” Moor Lane is another site that will be scrutinised (Image: Newsquest) He added: “If we’re worried about what planning inspectors have been saying in recent years, its nothing compared to what might come out if you read the detail.
” Conservative Cllr Walsh put two motions to what turned out to be a long-running debate at a full meeting of Bolton Council. The first called on the ruling Labour councillors to reaffirm the authority’s protection of greenbelt land and condemned their “failure” to allay public concerns about this. The second called on a council policy development group to consider the risk posed to Bolton greenbelt land if the government does in fact pursue.