A PLEA to protect green belt land at Bolton-le-Sands and Hest Bank has been made in the House of Commons.

Morecambe and Lunesdale MP David Morris presented a petition of 150 constituents who have written to ask him to oppose building hundreds of new homes on the protected green space.

Lancaster City Council is considering building up to 500 new properties on land west of the A6 at Hest Bank, opposite Slyne Hall Heights.

The proposal is part of the council's public consultation on ways to create up to 14,000 homes and 9,500 jobs by 2031 across the district.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Morris said: "I rise to present a petition on behalf of my constituents, who are opposed to any building on the green belt in Hest Bank and Bolton-le-Sands.

"Over 150 constituents have petitioned me on this issue. They are opposed to any building which would see up to 500 homes built, and their two distinct villages merge into one urban sprawl.

"Whilst this matter is a devolved issue, my constituents ask the House to urge Lancaster City Council to scrap Green Belt 4 from the local plan."

Lancaster City Council's public consultation closed on Monday (November 30).

In the consultation document, the council says it has "no alternative but to review green belt boundaries" as it looks for locations where new homes and jobs can be created - while keeping "smaller green belts to maintain separation of the coastal settlements".

It has identified four possible green belt locations for building up to 3,000 homes by 2031.

They include an extension to South Carnforth for up to 1,250 properties.

The council says that building at Hest Bank "may impact on the character and heritage of Slyne-with-Hest and Bolton-le-Sands villages".

It also points out that the new Heysham to M6 link road cuts through green belt land.

The public's views will "help to inform" the final proposal, which will be consulted on in 2016 in the Draft Land

Allocations document, says the council.