A "dated" development plan at the heart of all applications for planning permission is up for review by Bolton Council.

The Bolton Local Plan is an assortment of planning policies some of which are more than 10 years old at the moment.

Some of the policies are in the remit of the local authority while some of the policies like Places for Everyone are in the remit of larger authorities like the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Those in the remit of the local authority are up for review after approval by cabinet last Monday (October 14).

It is a £1m, three-year process which is to come to its conclusion at an independent inquiry by the Planning Inspectorate.

Jane Gowing, Bolton Council's Head of Planning, said: "An up-to-date development plan is a requirement and, while we have Places for Everyone across Greater Manchester, we have a local plan which is able to add detail. Importantly it allocates sites for housing in the medium term and in the long term."

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Cllr Martyn Cox, the leader of the opposition, asked if it is possible to review local planning policies at a time when the Labour Party is reviewing national planning policies in the form of the National Planning Policy Framework.

Until the National Planning Policy Framework is set in stone there is uncertainty over the local authority's housing target which looks likely to go up 70 per cent from around 780 homes a year to around 1,340 homes a year.

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Cllr Cox said: "One of the reasons we were supportive of Places for Everyone was we got a good deal in terms of protecting a lot of the green areas in the town.

"If we got a 70 per cent increase how would it work with Places for Everyone as we would have to use this field, that field, the other field to hit the higher target?"

Ms Gowing said: "We have to be consistent with national planning policies and Places for Everyone in our own local plan and the current consultation on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework is relevant. 

"It is a challenging timeline but it is critical to make progress in the absence of an update as to when it is likely to be published."

The review was approved by the cabinet last Monday (October 14).

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.