FOOTBALL star Gary Neville has lodged an appeal against Bolton Council’s decision to throw out plans for an eco home on his Harwood estate.

The Manchester United club captain wanted to build a four-bedroom “home of the future”, complete with wind turbine and ground source heating pumps, which he had aimed to make Bolton’s first zerocarbon dwelling.

But members of Bolton Council’s planning committee rejected the plans, because they were not convinced that the development warranted special dispensation to be built on green belt land.

Mr Neville has since resubmitted the plans, with the contentious wind turbine reduced in height from 39 metres to 30 metres.

Residents wanting to make representations to the Planning Inspectorate, which is expected to hold a public inquiry in the next few months, have until February 3 to do so.

Joanne Wilcock, who led the protests from the residents in Affetside, said: “All the representations we have already made to Bolton Council will be sent to the Planning Inspectorate automatically, we just need to see if there is anything else that we want him to consider at the public inquiry.”

Planning laws allow the building of houses on green belt land, providing the designs are “truly outstanding and groundbreaking”.

Campaigners say it does not meet the tough environmental guidelines.

Mr Neville, aged 35, bought the 18th-century farming hamlet, off Bradshaw Road, five years ago, and converted it into a 12-bedroom mansion for himself and his wife, Emma.

He has since developed the outbuildings and stables into an e x c l u s i v e h o u s i n g development, which has since gone on the market, along with his mansion.

A spokesman for Mr Neville said the fact his client had appealed should not be seen as “confrontational”. He said: “There is a fixed time limit for the submission of an appeal which we had to meet to protect the applicant’s position. It also has to be remembered that the application itself had been recommended for approval.

“We remain fully committed to the amended scheme and have followed up a very productive consultation event with a further offer to have direct discussions with any of the residents’ advisers in the hope that the technical merits of the proposals can be examined and potentially agreed.