PEOPLE submitting planning applications to Bolton Council -- and those objecting to them -- will soon be able to address the councillors who make the decisions.

Councillors have voted to change the rules to allow residents to speak at planning committee meetings.

The public are currently barred from addressing the meetings, although councillors can speak on their behalf.

Committee chairman Cllr Prentice Howarth said: "We have been striving for this for some time, but we didn't rush into it because we wanted to work it out properly.

"It's going to be a learning curve for both councillors and members of the public."

Under the new proposals, one speaker objecting to a planning application and one in favour will be given two minutes to state their case. In more complex cases additional speakers will be allowed.

Vice-chairman Cllr Nick Peel said the changes were long overdue.

He said: "This is about democracy. People can turn up in their droves to planning meetings because the decisions that are being made can have a major effect on the quality of their lives.

"Planning can be quite an emotional issue and, this way, I believe people will feel they are closer to the democratic process."

The proposals are expected to be rubber stamped at a meeting of the full council on February 19. The move follows pressure from the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, and the Local Government Association, urging councils to allow the public to address their meetings. About half the country's planning authorities now allow people to speak at their meetings.

A survey last year found that a majority of Bolton's councillors were in favour of allowing the public to speak, despite fears that it could slow down meetings and hold up applications.

Liberal Democrat Cllr David Wilkinson, who has long campaigned for the change, said: "I think this is a real step forward for democracy. People come to these meetings because they know this committee has power and because they know it affects their lives."