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Search the Public Notice PortalConcerns are growing about whether new planning rules could leave valued areas of countryside more vulnerable to development.
Two Bolton councillors are backing a parliamentary petition calling for the Government's "grey belt" planning rules to be removed, amid concern about what the policy could mean locally.
Cllr Andy Morgan, chairman of Bolton Council's Planning Committee, and Harwood and Bradshaw councillors are supporting the petition, which remains open until October 30.
Grey belt is land within the Green Belt which meets criteria set out in national planning policy, including some previously developed land and other land which does not strongly contribute to specified Green Belt purposes.
Importantly, being classed as grey belt does not automatically mean land can be built on, released from the Green Belt or that planning permission must be granted, with applications still subject to other planning policies and requirements.
Cllr Morgan said: "The idea behind the Government's new 'grey belt' rules was supposed to be about making better use of poor quality Green Belt land, such as old car parks, abandoned sites and scrubland.
"The concern is that the rules go much further than that and could potentially open up good quality Green Belt to development too.
"For Bolton, with communities surrounded by Green Belt that people value and want to protect, that matters.
"I've said before that planning decisions should be made locally, with local councillors and residents having a proper say in how our communities develop."
So far, the petition has reached more than 10,000 signatures.
The issue has already arisen in planning discussions around Bolton.
In 2025, Rowland Homes argued that Green Belt fields off Arthur Lane near Harwood met the grey-belt tests while promoting proposals for around 80 homes.
But grey-belt arguments do not necessarily succeed.
Planning officers rejected proposals for up to three homes on Green Belt land between Westhoughton and Blackrod after concluding the site made a strong contribution to Green Belt purposes and did not meet the grey-belt definition.
Cllr James Moller, of Harwood and Bradshaw, said: "People always use that argument, 'We want houses but not on our doorstep', but there are places in the centre of town.
"There's loads of space there, loads of empty buildings. Why are we not turning them into flats and apartments, making the towns bustling and keeping this countryside lifestyle that Bolton needs?
"People are coming over because it's the countryside. They're spending more money in businesses, they're getting a coffee, they're getting food, they're going to other businesses and they're going for walks.
"You need that countryside aspect to Bolton. It's not a city."
Government guidance says identifying grey-belt land can help councils consider how housing and other development needs are met, while decisions must still be made through the wider National Planning Policy Framework.
The petition argues that the rules risk high-quality Green Belt being lost to development and calls for the grey-belt policy to be revoked.
If it reaches 10,000 signatures, the Government must respond, while petitions reaching 100,000 signatures are considered for debate in Parliament.
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