THE Government is currently carrying out an independent review into National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Tom Molloy has been finding out what this means for Bolton.

During last week’s full council meeting, a motion was moved by Cllr Toby Hewitt for all of Bolton’s greenbelt and other worthy areas to be included in any plans for a newly designated National Park or AONB for Greater Manchester.

The motion also asked that the council co-operate with other councils in Greater Manchester to join up areas of greenbelt land to create a new ‘Urban Greenheart’.

Every councillor voted in favour of the motion and it was passed.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Hewitt said: “I was happy to move the motion calling for the creation of a National Park for Greater Manchester and happier still it was passed.

“It’s about an aspiration for what we leave behind and the health and wellbeing of future generations.

“There are brilliant campaigners leading the charge on this and I’m happy to back it.”

The motion was moved in response to the news that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is carrying out an independent review of designated landscapes.

The review, which is being led by Julian Glover, is exploring how the country’s National Parks and AONBs meet our needs in the 21st century.

A public call for evidence was held last year, closing on 18 December and the review will report, including any recommendations for new National Parks, in Autumn 2019.

Conservative candidate for Hulton, Derek Bullock originated a similar idea for a Wigan Borough ‘Greenheart’ of interlinked greenspace in a network encompassing the borough, as far back as the 1990s.

In 2016, he approached the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) with proposals to set up a Greater Manchester national park.

He said: “I’ve been on this a while but London are planning to launch their ‘London City National Park’ in June. The idea is to protect the areas of green that they’ve got left.

“West Midlands are pushing like mad as well.

“I’m pleased that it’s happening in other urban areas because if it’s happened there, why not here?”

Cllr Hewitt has been trying to get the motion passed since December, 2018, but the 10pm cut off time of full council meetings meant that it wasn’t heard until last week.

“It’s an idea that’s time is of the now,” Cllr Hewitt agreed.

“Other urban city areas such as Manchester and Birmingham are looking at joining up green and blue infrastructure.

“Manchester is a natural fit. You’ve got canal arteries that flow through the town.

“In the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework there are 37 or 38 sites identified for green infrastructure and so the natural progression is to link them all together.”

Cllr Zoe Kirk-Robinson spoke passionately about the motion before it was passed at last week’s full council meeting.

She believes time is of the essence.

“It is basically now or never,” she added.

“If we let loads of building happen, there will be nothing left for us to enjoy.

“We’ve all grown up with access to the little parks we have — The Bonk, Hall Lee Park, Seven Acres — it’s all beautiful and it’s all under threat if we let building happen.

“We want to have places where children can grow up and run round the forest like we did when we were younger.

“We want to protect this, we want to make sure the air quality is good and that’s why I supported it at council.”

Executive Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Nick Peel said: “It’s an aspirational one because a lot does depend on adequate funding from the Government.

“It’s something we support because it keeps in step with our policy to protect the green belt and we’re very proud that Bolton is the only place in Greater Manchester where there are no houses proposed for green belt land.

“It went without saying that as a group, Labour were very happy to pass the motion.”

Another ambitious movement aiming to turn Greater Manchester into a greener region is City of Trees.

On their website they list their three key goals as; three million trees planted, one for every man, woman and child across Greater Manchester, bringing back 2,000 hectares of unmanaged woodland into use for the community, and to connect people to the trees and woods around them.

A spokesman for City of Trees said: “At its heart City of Trees is a movement, bringing people, organisations and companies together to green Greater Manchester.

“We also deliver a number of projects on the ground throughout the region focused around planting trees and managing woodlands; urban orchards; school projects, and GreenStreets.

“We believe that trees are essential to the future of our towns and cities, and a City of Trees is one that is healthier, more resilient and more prosperous.

“This ambitious movement is securing a much greener, more resilient and pleasant environment that everyone can enjoy.”