SWINDON councillors have voted unanimously for the Government to make changes in the law to stop back gardens being turned into flats.

Despite arguments over whether the motion, put forward by councillors Colin Lovell and David Sammels, were political arguments, all councillors voted in favour.

They will now call on Swindon MPs Michael Wills and Anne Snelgrove to push for changes to Government planning rules.

Coun Lovell (Con, Moredon) said developers were being allowed to push through plans to build flats in residential back gardens.

He said Government planning rules meant back gardens were designated as "brownfield" sites and treated the same way as factories coming up for redevelopment.

Coun Lovell said the only way the council could stop the back yards being built over was to knock back the plans - but taxpayers then ran the risk of expensive court appeals.

He said the laws were tilted in favour of the developers, meaning the council could either allow the developments or face hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal costs if it loses the planning appeals.

"The Government has put a lot of pressure on councils to do a lot of high density developments," said Coun Lovell.

"When you think of the older parts of Swindon with large gardens, they could all be affected."

He said one development in his ward would replace four houses on a total of two acres with 49 dwellings.

"It needs the representatives of this to have more people to decide what are the most appropriate developments," he said.

But North Swindon MP Mr Wills said the council already had the power to stop the inappropriate building if it got its own rules in order.

He said other councils, including Reigate and Wyre Forest, had passed planning rules to stop developers building in back gardens.

"If they had bothered to pick up the phone, they would know I have already taken this up with ministers," said Mr Wills.

"I would also have been able to point out the very real powers the council already has to prevent these developments and to urge them to use those powers instead of political grandstanding.

"Other councils, like Reigate and Wyre Forest, have already included prevention in their local plans. Why hasn't Swindon Borough Council done so already?"

Coun Sammels (Con, St Philips) said the motion was "a vital first step to putting residents' concerns first when it comes to back garden development".

"Many local people live with the constant worry that developers will buy up neighbouring back gardens and construct houses or flats that aren't in keeping with the local area," he said.

"The motion is an important move to end this cause for concern and we will be lobbying Swindon's MPs hard to convince them to help put a stop to the nonsensical classification of back gardens as brownfield sites."