Latest changes to 175,000 homes plan for Greater Manchester goes out for consultation

People across Greater Manchester are being asked to have their final say on the plan to bring thousands of new homes to the region over the next two decades. 

A consultation on Places for Everyone, the plan to deliver 175,000 new homes, jobs, and sustainable growth has been launched this week. The nine Greater Manchester councils involved have approved the modifications made to the plan following an eight month examination process conducted by the government. 

Stockport is the one borough not part of the plan due to concerns over green belt impact.

The plan is a joint development plan of the nine districts which will determine the kind of development that takes place in their boroughs, maximising the use of brownfield land and urban spaces while protecting green belt land from the risk of unplanned development. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) added it will also ensure all new developments are sustainably integrated into Greater Manchester’s transport network or supported by new infrastructure.

Following a rigorous and independent examination process, the inspectors have recommended that a series of ‘Main Modifications’ are necessary to make the plan sound and legally compliant, and have requested that these should be subject to consultation. Whilst there are many proposed Main Modifications, including amending the plan period from 2020 to 2037 to 2022 to 2039, the vision and ambition from across the nine districts remains the same.

The main modifications include the boundary changes to housing developments and the removal of the North of Irlam Station site – reducing the loss of green belt land. The Salford-based site would have provided around 800 dwellings but the impact on green field land was deemed too severe to keep. 

The main modifications include the boundary changes to housing developments and the removal of the North of Irlam Station site – reducing the loss of green belt land. The Salford-based site would have provided around 800 dwellings but the impact on greenfield land was deemed too severe to keep. 

Six sites in the Rochdale borough have seen green belt additions deleted in the modifications. The plan says that ‘given the lack of sufficient land to ensure that our overall housing and employment needs can be met, it is considered that there is a strategic exceptional circumstances case to be made to release Green Belt for development’.

In Rochdale, Firgrove Playing Fields, land north of St Andrew’s Church, Dearnley and land at Townhouse Brook, Littleborough are some of the sites that will not be added to the green belt under the modifications.

The proposed modifications have been approved for consultation by each of the nine councils.
 

Read more: Affordable housing and green belt pledges ‘watered down’ in controversial planPublished: 06 May 2023

Paul Dennett, Mayor of Salford City Council and GMCA Portfolio lead for Places for Everyone said: “This is a key milestone in a meticulous and detailed process which has been carried out with care and precision. I’m exceptionally proud of the journey we’ve been on to reach this final consultation. 

“Voices of our residents and partners across Greater Manchester have helped to shape the future we’re working towards. As we move into this next phase, we can set our sights on the end goal which is our vision to tackle inequalities across our region.

“I want to continue to thank the inspectors and everyone involved in this process since we began in August 2014 with a vision to ensure we work towards meeting housing needs and making sure residents and families in Greater Manchester have a place to call home.”

The consultation launched on 11 October and runs for eight weeks, closing at 11:59pm on 6 December.

To make a response visit: www.gmconsult.org/pfe/mainmods2023/

George Lythgoe, Local Democracy Reporter