TWICE as many new homes are set to be built in Lancashire than in Liverpool or Manchester put together, a new study has revealed.

But council bosses in Blackburn have revealed the situation could have been worse after government inspectors insisted several areas earmarked for housing estates were to remain untouched.

A report compiled by the North West Regional Assembly, an organisation which has representatives from all of the region's councils and authorities, has revealed that Lancashire can expect more houses than any other area over the next 11 years.

On average, some 3,610 homes will be built every year, against just 1,590 in Manchester and 1,310 in Liverpool.

More than half of the homes in Lancashire will be built on greenfield sites -- areas which are currently open space. The Council for the Protection of Rural England has criticised the figures, saying that lack of government action means that houses will be built in the countryside instead of improving areas of urban decay.

It says the decision by local authorities to accept the figures will result in too many homes being built. The report states that 357,000 homes will have been built between 1996 and 2021, more than 50,000 more than the 297,000 believed to be needed in the Government-published Household Projections report.

Brian Jones, chairman of the CPRE's North West Regional Group, said: "In accepting the proposal to build far more homes than are actually needed, the report's authors have failed to take into account the impacts on the environment, something they are required to by the Government.

"They also do not seem to recognise the devastating impact over-provision of housing has on our most run-down areas.

"The situation will be made worse by the fact the report merely predicts the number of homes to be built on brownfield sites -- sites which have been developed before -- rather than setting challenging targets."

A report to Blackburn with Darwen Council revealed that several areas of land earmarked for development in the Local Plan -- a council document which states which areas will be developed in the next decade -- have now been left as open space.

A council spokesman said: "These changes have been made as a result of an independent inspector's recommendations.

"These alterations have now been made and the public are being asked for their opinions before it is adopted in 2002."

In Hyndburn, work is going on between the housing department and the planning department to prevent new housing estates worsening the borough's poor empty-homes figures. About one third of the 30,000 houses in Hyndburn are empty.

A spokesman said: "We are trying to strike a balance where new houses are built -- but not to the detriment of existing areas.

"We want affordable housing and a lot of use of brownfield sites. Too many new homes will worsen the problem, but we can't just stop giving planning permission for new homes."