The Leader of the Opposition and Liberal Democrat Group Leader on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, have written to the new Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham to welcome his rethink of the controversial Greater Manchester Spatial Framework.  The newly-elected Mayor has appointed Salford’s Mayor Paul Dennett to oversee a rewrite of the proposals.

Cllr Sykes said: “Much of the Green Belt land in Oldham that was proposed for housing development is located in the two wards represented solely by six Liberal Democrat Councillors, namely Shaw and Crompton.  Over three thousand new homes are proposed in these two wards.  Local residents are rightly up in arms, fearing that not only will the current plan mean that their precious Green Belt will be lost forever under a carpet of concrete, but also that the existing medical, school and leisure infrastructure, which is already severely stretched, will be completely swamped with the extra demand.”

The Liberal Democrats have a clear aspiration for future housing development in Greater Manchester.  Cllr Sykes explained: “Development should be on brownfield sites first, particularly sites with outstanding planning permission, coupled with mill and factory conversions to housing and a drive to bring existing empty homes back into occupancy, whenever this is practicable.”

In his letter, Cllr Sykes has made the new Mayor an offer: “I am pleased to say that the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council enjoyed a cordial and constructive relationship with your predecessor.  We look forward to establishing a similar relationship with yourself so that we might together work to make Greater Manchester, and its ten constituent local authorities, greater still.”

“We hope that you will offer us the opportunity to work with you and Mr Dennett to establish a revised plan that is acceptable to local ward members and our constituents, which mirrors our aspirations for housing and economic development in Greater Manchester.”

 Attached letter to Mayor Andy Burnham

22 May 2017

Mr. Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, GMCA, Churchgate House, 56 Oxford Street, Manchester M1 6EU

Dear Mr. Mayor,

Many congratulations on your recent election. I am pleased to say that the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council enjoyed a cordial and constructive relationship with your predecessor. We look forward to establishing a similar relationship with yourself so that we might together work to make Greater Manchester, and its ten constituent local authorities, greater still.

We welcome your recent commitment to revise the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework and your appointment of Salford’s Mayor Paul Dennett to oversee the rewrite.

We hope that you will offer us the opportunity to work with you and Mr. Dennett to establish a revised plan that is acceptable to local ward members and our constituents, which mirrors our aspirations for housing and economic development in Greater Manchester.

The original plans for Oldham proposed that 13,700 new homes be built and almost 700,000 square metres of land made available for new factories and warehouses in the borough. Approximately 3000 were to be located in sites in Shaw and Crompton, and other tracts of land were designated for industrial development.

To the six Liberal Democrat Councillors representing Shaw and Crompton, this plan represented a massive and inequitable land grab in our area with the loss of our much-loved Green Belt and OPOL (other protected open land).

Our constituents have rightly been up-in-arms about it, and have participated in demonstrations at Tandle Hill Park and in Albert Square to protect their Green Belt. As their elected representatives, we have supported their aspiration not to see any development of the Green Belt.

Labour colleagues representing Royton and Chadderton are also upset at plans to devastate Green Belt in their areas and I know they would also welcome the chance to participate in a dialogue with Mr Dennett and yourself.

It is the view of the Liberal Democrat Group that there is no justification for the construction of a large number of properties (or indeed any properties) on Green Belt or OPOL land before new homes are first built on Brownfield sites, on sites where planning permission for housing development has already been granted and upon the many derelict and the unloved sites in our town centres and districts.

We also believe that every empty mill and factory should be converted used for housing and that the large number of empty homes across Greater Manchester should be brought back into use.

We also wish to see the apportionment of housing and commercial development across every ward within every borough rather than the disproportionate imposition of development on a few wards such as ours.

It is our belief that Shaw and Crompton lacks the necessary infrastructure to meet the needs of the residents of more than 3,000 new homes. Our primary schools are full and overcrowded; we have a secondary school that is falling apart; a dilapidated Health Centre that is near cardiac arrest; no swimming facilities or dry leisure provision; precious few youth facilities and no municipal tip.

New homes with growing families need primary and secondary school places; more GPs and dentists; leisure and shopping facilities; and new highways and more buses and trams to get them there.

Mr. Mayor, I hope that in light of these facts that you will wish to engage the Oldham Liberal Democrat Group in the re-write and, with this hope in mind, I look forward to hearing from you,

Yours sincerely

Howard Sykes