The next public consultation in the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) scheme was due in September but may not be published until summer 2018.
Regional mayor Andy Burnham promised to revise the plans following protests from affected communities.
The revised plans will be announced "in due course", the mayor's office said.
The GMSF scheme identifies sites for housing developments that may be built over the next 20 years.
The area's combined authority, which brings together 10 councils, published a joint plan last October to allocate land for development.
Due to the scale of development required to meet expected population growth, it outlined plans to make swathes of protected greenbelt land available for new homes.
The authority received more than 25,000 responses to the consultation while community groups protested against the plans.
Mr Burnham, who was elected as metropolitan mayor in May, promised to "radically re-write" the plans, calling them "unfair and disproportionate".
The BBC understands council leaders are not expecting the next consultation to take place until next year due to the work involved.
Matthew Collinge from the Save our Slattocks group, which is opposed to homes being built on greenbelt land between Middleton and Royton, said the delay was "disappointing".
He said: "It stretches out the fear of the unknown and us. It's very easy for people to lose interest and we've been working towards this September deadline.
"We now have to keep people aware of what's happening for longer and that makes it harder for a small community group like ours."
Matthew Good, a spokesman for the House Builder's Federation said: "It's important for everybody that we have some certainty on this.
"Councils need to invest in infrastructure. They need to know where those developments are going to happen.
"Without a plan it's going to be a lot more piecemeal because investors will have to take chances on where they can get development and the councils may not be in control of that."
A spokesman for Mr Burnham said the mayor had appointed Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett to lead a "radical" rewrite of the plans.
He added: "This re-write is currently underway and details on the next round of consultation will be announced in due course."

Many tenants and social landlords also want to see an end to the policy, according to a consultation.
The Scottish government has already ended right to buy for new tenants, amid concern over a shortage of rented affordable homes.
Right to buy has also been suspended by a number of local authorities.
Ministers are currently considering proposals to protect and increase the supply of affordable housing.
The government's consultation on the issue got 169 responses in total from registered social landlords, tenant and resident groups, councils, charities and others.
Of the 161 respondents which answered the question on ending right to buy altogether, 83% said the policy - introduced in the early 80s - should go.
In all, 92% of social landlords, 81% of councils and 80% of tenant and resident groups which responses said right to buy should be scrapped.
The policy was introduced by the Thatcher government to make owning a home more affordable and, since its introduction, more than 500,000 homes have been sold in Scotland.
But in recent years councils have been forced to suspend the policy, as their stock of social housing to rent has dwindled.
The Scottish government's 2010 Housing Act brought in several changes, including ending right to buy for new council and social housing tenants, alongside a three-year £1.5bn house-building plan.
Ministers said stopping all new tenants from buying their homes could see up to 18,000 properties retained over 10 years.
The Scottish government said it would respond to the consultation in due course.
A plan earmarking sites for 225,000 new homes in Greater Manchester is set to be delayed amid a "radical rewrite" to help protect green belt land.
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A majority of Scottish councils want the right to buy for council and social housing tenants scrapped, a government report has said.