Despite Liberal Democrat opposition, Labour voted to take forward the so-called ‘Places for Everyone’ plan at Wednesday’s Council’s meeting (24 March 2021). The new plan will lead to thousands of new homes being built on Oldham’s Green Belt.
Councillors considered a report to make an agreement to ‘prepare a joint development plan’ to replace the discredited Greater Manchester Spatial Framework and to delegate the Leader of the Council to sit on an oversight committee with the Leaders of eight of the other nine Greater Manchester authorities. All of these are led by Labour Leaders, other than Bolton which has a Conservative Administration.
Stockport Liberal Democrats torpedoed the previous plan by voting against Stockport being involved with it at a Council meeting held there in December 2020.
At Wednesday’s meeting (24/03/21), Oldham’s Liberal Democrat opposition voted en-bloc against the recommendations of the report, but the Council’s majority Labour Administration pushed it through.
Commenting, the Leader of the Opposition and Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, said: “Obviously for us this is a disappointing result, but this is only the start of a long process. A new plan will eventually be developed that will again be put out to public consultation, and I would urge any members of the public and any organisation campaigning to save our Green Belt to put in their objections at that time.”
Councillor Sykes added: “Oldham’s Liberal Democrats will continue to oppose this Greater Manchester plan and fight for a local plan that is framed by local people and meets our borough’s needs. We are opposed to any Green Belt development and want a plan that is focused upon building new homes only on Brown Field sites or by repurposing redundant factories, mills, shops and pubs to quality housing.”
Notes
The report presented to Oldham Council 24 March 2021 – Item 19 : ‘Arrangements for the preparation of ‘Places for Everyone’: A proposed Joint Development Plan Document on behalf of nine Greater Manchester districts’