Still time to have your say on Greater Manchester Spatial Framework

Dig Gate Farm, Milnrow

The leader of Rochdale Borough Council is urging residents to have their say on the Greater Manchester plan for Jobs and Homes (the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework) before the consultation closes later this month.

Around 2,500 people across Greater Manchester have already given their views on the GMSF, which is set to create thousands of new jobs and homes across the region over the next 20 years.

And now, with less than two weeks to go until the current consultation closes on Monday 18 March, Rochdale council leader Allen Brett is encouraging residents to have their say.

He said: “The sites we have put forward for our borough have already generated 665 responses, and I’ve personally met with a number of groups who are concerned about how the GSMF will impact on Rochdale’s green belt.

“I’ve listened to all of these concerns very carefully and have more meetings set up with local groups in the coming weeks. I can’t stress how important this plan is. In planning terms, this is the biggest land use plan produced outside of London, and it will transform the fortunes of our region and our borough for generations to come. That’s why it’s so important that our residents find out more about what we’re proposing and give us their views.

“Of all the land we have identified for potential housing up to 2037, around half of this is on brownfield sites. We have granted permission for over 240 new homes on brownfield land around Rochdale town centre since December last year and these are already being built. In addition to this, we are targeting landowners with planning permission and stepping up use of CPO powers to bring brownfield land and empty properties back into use as housing. We are also working hard to create new residential in our town centres and in Rochdale alone we have plans to bring forward 2,000 new homes in and around the town centre.”

“But we must be clear – the only real way to protect green belt from speculative development is to have a plan for housing and employment in place.”

The GMSF could create 20,000 new jobs and 12,000 new homes in Rochdale borough. It has the potential to boost Rochdale’s economy by £600m a year.

A number of infrastructure improvements have been proposed as part of the 2040 transport strategy, which supports the GMSF. These include the extension of the Metrolink to Middleton, the introduction of a tram-train from Manchester to Heywood, via Castleton, and the re-introduction of a direct express bus route from Heywood to Manchester.

There are also plans to create a new train platform on the Calder Valley line at Slattocks in Middleton to support GMSF proposals for new employment space and 900 new homes at Stakehill. Two new primary schools, in Castleton and Littleborough, are also part of the plan.

To find out more about the consultation and to feed views in, please visit:

• gmconsult.org