BOLTON planners will be sent "naked" into planning inquiries, councillor has warned.

Tory Cllr John Walsh blasted colleagues for ignoring new rules which, he said, gave council planners no defence against appeals.

His comments came as Labour members voted down a plan by Wimpey homes NW Ltd to increase the number of houses on a site at Metal Box Way, Westhoughton, by 20.

Councillors were angry that Wimpey wanted to increase the number of houses on the grassland site after being granted permission four years ago, on appeal, for 104 homes.

Cynical

They accused the company of cynically increasing the amount of houses once planning permission had been gained.

But Cllr Walsh said the plan conformed to new guidelines on housing density designed to encourage more homes to be built on less land. If Wimpey appealed, Bolton planning officers would be unable to defend the councillors' decision.

He said: "This application conforms with Government guidelines. The council is storing up problems for the future."

But deputy leader Cllr Guy Harkin said: "The reason we refused this in the first place is that there wasn't the infrastructure in terms of roads or public transport. A 20pc increase in houses makes that position even stronger."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.