Bolton council has backed a much-delayed masterplan for building new homes and creating jobs which will release land for housing and industry.
Councillors voted in favour of backing Places For Everyone , which sets out a long term plan for what land can be freed up for different kinds of development over the next 16 years.
The document replaces the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF), which was abandoned last year after it failed to win the support of Stockport council.
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The plans for Bolton, which remain similar to the previous draft of the GMSF, include around 13,000 new homes.
It concludes the supply of brownfield sites in urban areas of the borough will be enough to meet that requirement.
There are also greenbelt sites allocated for employment uses at Chequerbent North next to the M61 in Westhoughton and a much larger site on green land west of Wingates.
The council have now agreed a publication plan.
Cabinet member for planning and development, Coun Toby Hewitt, proposed the project.
He said: “The latest draft of the plan represents an improvement in the conservation and protection of the green belt and infrastructure in our area.
“It would result in less pressure on our green belt.”
Westhoughton councillor David Wilkinson said the document had significant impacts for the town.
He said: ‘”What’s in the plan will cause considerable concern to the people of Westhoughton and Over Hulton.
“One of the issues is highways and one of the proposals is to remove a site out of green belt for industrial use on Snydale Way.
“People will be well aware of the traffic problems in that area around the motorway. It will be an interesting planning application to say the least.
“The main area of concern is 450 acres for industrial use west of Wingates. 110 acres has already received permission.”
Coun Wilkinson proposed an amendment to the plan involving speaking to developers to try and ensure that as much woodland and water features can be protected within that Wingates development.
Deputy leader of the council Martyn Cox said that during the consultation anyone could make representations and afterwards there would be a ‘de-facto public enquiry’.
He said:”We fully expect one of the biggest representations will be from developers as they will look at our plans and say Bolton is not offering up enough land.
“We are voting tonight for people to have their say. If after the public inquiry it changes then we then reserve the right to re-examine it.”
Labour leader Nick Peel said his group wholeheartedly supported the plans.
He said Bolton had got a reduced house building allocation with the plan and if the council pulled out they would likely have to find even more land for homes.
The Liberal Democrat amendment was defeated.
Councillors then voted in favour of send the Places For Everyone plan out for public consultation.
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