The Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s new ‘Places for Everyone’ plan has now entered an eight-week period of consultation for members of the public to comment on modifications.
The long-term plan is set to develop new homes, jobs and sustainable growth for nine districts of Greater Manchester over the next two decades.
The boroughs involved include Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan – all the Greater Manchester boroughs except Stockport – up until 2037.
Birthed from the Greater Manchester Special Framework in 2014, the ‘Places for Everyone’ plan has gradually progressed through the developmental phases.
Paul Dennett, Salford City council mayor and GMCA lead for the plan, 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.
“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.”
The combined effort of the nine districts will determine the kind of development in their boroughs, which will include; maximising the use of brownfield land and urban spaces alongside protecting Green Belt land from the risk of unplanned development.
The plan will support the delivery of key infrastructure, protection of the region’s important environmental assets, allocate sites for employment and housing outside the urban area and will define a new Green Belt boundary around Greater Manchester.
Alongside this, all new developments will be sustainably integrated into the region’s net-zero transport system – most notably the Metrolink tram services and the new Bee Network bus system.
After proposed changes to the plan were submitted to the Secretary of State for examination in February 2022, contributors to past consultations had the opportunity to participate in the examination process, which occurred between November 2022 and July 2023.
The entire process of developing the plan has been informed by the feedback received from residents, businesses and the development industry.
As a result, each element of the draft plan has been scrutinised properly to ensure it is legally compliant and practically sound.
Over the following eight weeks, a series of ‘Main Modifications’ from inspectors will be subject to consultation to make the plan sound and legally compliant before the policies are rolled out in each of the nine districts.
For those interested in giving feedback to the modifications – the GMCA has opened a survey which can be accessed here.
