Labour councillors vote down Liberal Democrat plan to remove Oldham from Places for Everyone Greenbelt development  

Labour councillors vote down Liberal Democrat plan to remove Oldham from Places for Everyone Greenbelt development  

Oldham Council’s ruling Labour Group has voted down a proposal from the Liberal Democrats that would have removed Oldham from the controversial ‘Places for Everyone’ housing strategy.

Places for Everyone – which contains controversial plans to build on Greenbelt sites in Oldham – was signed off by Labour councillors at a Full Council meeting on Wednesday (13 March). 

Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “Labour’s decision to plough ahead with this Greenbelt development is a betrayal of Oldham residents.”

“Expensive luxury housing is not going to help people onto the housing ladder.  All Labour are doing is handing a blank cheque to developers.”

The Liberal Democrats have long argued against Places for Everyone and so far, the only council to remove itself from the Greater Manchester-wide plan is Stockport, which is controlled by the Liberal Democrats. 

Councillor Sykes said, “Oldham needs a ‘brownfield first’ strategy that prioritises ex-industrial sites and the sites and former housing developments that have been demolished but never replaced – like in Derker.” 

“Liberal Democrats have always argued that Oldham should develop its own plan for housing development instead of being led by the rest of Greater Manchester.  But Labour have taken the easy way out and signed over Oldham’s greenbelt which will be lost in return for unaffordable housing.”

Liberal Democrat amendment to final Places for Everyone report:

Recommendations

This Council resolves to:

i. Reject the Places for Everyone Joint Development Plan 2022-2039 and remove Oldham Borough from Places for Everyone.

ii. Pursue the development of an ‘Oldham Local Housing Strategy’ which prioritises ‘Brownfield First’ development and truly affordable housing.

“Big step forward” for Oldham Coliseum as Liberal Democrats win council vote to put Fairbottom Street renovations back on the table

“Big step forward” for Oldham Coliseum as Liberal Democrats win council vote to put Fairbottom Street renovations back on the table

A proposal submitted to a Council meeting by Oldham Liberal Democrats which aims to renovate the famous Fairbottom Street home of Oldham Coliseum has been approved by councillors. 

Liberal Democrat councillors Garth Harkness of Saddleworth North and Hazel Gloster of Shaw set out a motion which would see funding from other town centre projects reallocated to the renovation of the Fairbottom Street venue. 

Councillor Harkness said, “The Coliseum has put Oldham on the map.  Viability studies have now confirmed that the venue is not beyond repair and could be brought back into use.  Liberal Democrats are proposing that town centre regeneration funds are used so that the Coliseum can stay on Fairbottom Street where it belongs.”

Councillor Gloster urged councillors to “seize the day” and vote for the plan.

“Oldham Coliseum has been the jewel in Oldham’s crown, and we have to do everything we can to protect it for future generations”, she added.

The motion passed unanimously, after being amended by Labour, was heralded as a “big step forward” in the campaign to save Oldham Coliseum. 

Leader of Oldham Liberal Democrats councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “Since the Coliseum sadly closed its doors almost a year ago, the public support for the theatre has been enormous.  Our motion has now firmly put the home of the Coliseum at Fairbottom Street back on the agenda.”

“There have been a lot of failures and missed opportunities by Oldham Council and by Arts Council England and the fact is that we have had to embarrass Labour into taking real action.   This is the right approach for the Coliseum to remain a producing theatre.   It’s the right approach financially and it’s right for Oldham.  This is a big step forward in the effort to save Oldham Coliseum.”  

Places for Everyone – what was said when this was debated

Full Council 13/03/24

The Places for Everyone strategy will do nothing to tackle the housing crisis in Oldham. 

Expensive luxury housing on our Green Belt is not the answer for families and our young people struggling to get onto the housing ladder.

This strategy fails to deliver new infrastructure investment to support the homes it aims to build.

  • No new investment in roads. 
  • No proportionate contribution to new health care services. 
  • No new school places. 

Taking the right approach to development requires hard work to get the right redevelopments of our ex-industrial heritage buildings and to achieve the right mix of social rents as well as starter homes. 

But Labour is not prepared to do the hard work. 

Labour have tried to blame the Governments out of date housing targets – but the minister has now ruled those out some time ago – that is why near 50 councils have paused their local plans to take breath and have another look – something we asked for, but it was rejected.

Labour have taken the easy way out and they are handing a blank cheque to developers who will destroy our green spaces forever.

Just look at Derker – the subject of Housing Market Renewal nearly two decades ago.  Still there are vast tracks of former housing land that is just empty and an eye sore.  Why is that not being developed as we were promised?

I will tell you why because green land is cheaper and easier – it is just not good enough!

We should remove ourselves from Places for Everyone once and for all and do the hard but necessary work to create a local brownfield first housing strategy, truly affordable homes in the places people want to live and stop being Greater Manchester’s poodle on this matter!