A BLUEPRINT which campaigners fear could see large swathes of countryside come under threat from developers has been criticised by Bolton Council.

The report by economist Kate Barker will help inform a new Government White Paper on planning due later this spring.

It calls for councils to review their green belt land amid demand for new housing and pressure from business.

Green groups including the Bolton branch of the Campaign For The Protection of Rural England and Save Westhoughton Act Now reacted with alarm when the Barker Report was published in December.

Now the council has expressed concerns in a response to Government consultation on the document.

Cllr Ebrahim Adia, Bolton Council's executive member for development, said: "We would be very concerned if the Government was to adopt all of the proposals of the Barker Report as they stand.

"We have managed to get enough new housing allocated for the next five years without compromising our green belt. We want to continue regenerating our urban areas and using brownfield land where possible."

More than 52 per cent of land across Bolton is designated green belt, while another five per cent is "protected open land" between green and urban areas.

A report outlining the council's response to the report, argues that some of the proposals are not supported by evidence and would make the planning system "cumbersome".

It cites four of Barker's recommendations as giving particular cause for concern.

The report says the green belt review could lead to an "adverse affect" on the council's policies of urban regeneration and re-use of brownfield land.

A proposal which states there should be a "presumption in favour of development" on land which is not earmarked for use in planning blueprints is also criticised.

The report says that "could reduce the ability of the council to resist development when it has justifiable reasons to do so".

Other suggestions would see a national planning commission rather than councils decide on applications for major infrastructure projects like airport extensions, motorways and power stations.

And residents would no longer need planning permission for minor household improvements such as extensions, if neighbours did not object.

Both ideas are opposed by the council, which says they would mean a "diminished role" for local communities.

The authority also slams the idea of allowing developers to make "goodwill" payments to "buy off" objectors as "unacceptable".

Other proposals, including making the planning appeals system more efficient are supported by the council.