Several gardens have been swallowed up by builders in recent months, but new proposals put forward would make the 'garden-grabbing' process harder.

Currently private gardens are classified as brownfield land, making it easier for housing developers to obtain planning permission to build on them.

New estimates show that one in three new homes are built on former gardens, but a team of councillors have put together a plan to stop the rot.

Coun Dennis Edgerley, who is leading the charge, wants the council to reclassify hundreds of the area's gardens as conservation areas in order to protect them from future development.

He said: "Garden development is a emotive issue and we need to look at it very carefully.

"Our proposal is to reclassify certain areas, particularly those of special interest, as conservation areas so developers can't build on them.

"Currently the council's hands are tied because they are classified as brownfield sites.

"We have sufficient development land in Chorley to satisfy our housing needs and we don't need to be building on gardens."

Last year, Chorley Council rejected controversial plans to demolish a bungalow in Clayton-le-Woods and replace it with an estate of large homes.

Earlier this year, the company behind the scheme – Wainhomes – won a landmark appeal against the decision and the council was ordered to pay £30,000 in costs.

However, if an area is reclassified as a conservation area, it may be subject to stricter planning restrictions.

Residents living near Lancaster Lane, where developers have submitted a flurry of applications to build small estates on gardens, have welcomed the initiative.

Campaigner Steve Smith, whose Lancaster Lane home overlooks a potential garden development site, said: "I think it is an excellent move.

"Local authorities have been quite powerless against it and this certainly sounds like it would help shift the power back to the planners.

"Lancaster Lane is one of the oldest streets in the district and it would definitely qualify as a conservation area in my book."

There are currently nine conservation areas in Chorley – Abbey Village, Bretherton, Brindle, Croston, Rivington, St George's area, St Laurence's area, White Coppice and Withnell Fold.

Chorley Council leader Peter Goldsworthy, said: "We understand residents are concerned about housing development in rear gardens and we will look into the idea of increasing the number of conservation areas in order to protect places with special residential character."

MP Lindsay Hoyle, who came up with the idea to use conservation areas to stop developers building on gardens, said: "The people of Chorley, and especially Lancaster Lane, deserve some protection from garden development and as soon as it started happening we needed to come up with ways of being able to stop it.

"This is an excellent way of doing it and I am glad the council is now looking at it."