The Greater Manchester Combined Authority will consider approving in principle a proposal to develop a new plan to build homes across nine of the ten districts of Greater Manchester at a meeting of its Executive next Friday (12 February).  Surprisingly no specific timescale is given in the report for the plan’s production, but the Government requires a local plan to be in place by December 2023.

The previous Greater Manchester Spatial Framework proposals were abandoned at the end of last year after Liberal Democrat Councillors in Stockport led the charge to withdraw that authority from the controversial plan.  Oldham’s Leader of the Opposition, Liberal Democrat Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, hopes that the leaders of the nine remaining authorities, eight of which are Labour-led and one Conservative, will use this new opportunity to finally abandon their universally unpopular proposals to build thousands of new homes on the Greenbelt.

Councillor Sykes said:  “This is such an important issue.  The new plan will have a significant long-term impact on land use in our districts and on the quality of life of residents, so it is incredibly important that we get this right.  It has been clear throughout the development of the ill-fated, ill-conceived Greater Manchester Spatial Framework that the people of this region do not want homes built on our irreplaceable Green Belt.

“Opposition to Green Belt development has also been the consistent position of Liberal Democrat Councillors across Greater Manchester and this will continue to be the case.  We feel that there is no justification for building new homes on any of our precious green spaces, and we will join local people in opposing such development proposals if they continue to be part of this new plan.”

Councillor Sykes continued: “I now hope that the leaders of the nine authorities will take a fresh look at this issue and finally recognise that Green Belt development will never be accepted by Liberal Democrat Councillors and the public.”

“If Greater Manchester’s Labour Mayor and the nine Council leaders really want to bring public opinion with them, they need to focus solely on development on Brownfield sites and repurposing many of the empty factories, mills, pubs, and houses across our region to bring them back into use as homes to meet our housing need.  That way when they bring their new plan forward for public consultation, and then present it to Oldham Council for approval, instead of being as one in opposition, we can all say, as Liberal Councillors and public, ‘yes’.”