Plans to designate greenbelt land for housing development in High Lane as part of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) are expected to be withdrawn as part of negotiations with Stockport Council over approving the document.
Stockport Council had been due to vote on approving the GMSF on the 17th November, but instead agreed to defer the decision in favour of last minute negotiations between GMCA and Conservative and Independent groups on the council to reach an agreement on plans.
Hazel Grove MP, William Wragg, whose constituency includes areas in High Lane, Bredbury and Romiley and who had urged Conservative colleagues on Stockport Council to vote against the GMSF, has since published on his website that planned development in High Lane is expected to be dropped from the framework. Neither Stockport Council nor GMCA have confirmed these claims.
Campaigners in High Lane have opposed proposals for further development in the village since the reallocation of land for housing was first floated in 2015 ahead of the GMSF’s first iteration, citing greenbelt land and potential pressures on local services and transport infrastructure. Mr Wragg commented:
I am pleased that we have proved successful in our campaign to save High Lane’s greenbelt. We knew all along that the plans were disproportionate and would adversely impact the lives of residents.”
Local councillor, Tom Dowse said:
I am chuffed to bits for the local residents, campaigners and the Neighbourhood Forum. We knew all along that the plan proposed by the Mayor would not have worked for local residents. We are glad to have secured this, but the fight continues. We cannot allow Stockport’s greenbelt be sacrificed. The Conservative Group on Stockport Council will continue to campaign against inappropriate greenbelt development across Stockport.”
No further comments have been made on whether there will be changes to other greenbelt developments in Stockport, or whether the 500 housing units proposed for High Lane that may be lost from the GMSF would be replaced with allocations elsewhere. William Wragg MP concluded his statement, commenting on his continued campaign to protect greenbelt sites elsewhere in his constituency, saying:
What we have proved with in High Lane, is that there is no methodology to support building on the greenbelt. We will not stop here. Residents in Bredbury, Offerton, Romiley and Woodley have worked tirelessly against building on local greenbelt, and I continue to support them with their campaigns”.
Stockport Council is expected to vote on a revised GMSF in the coming weeks following negotiations with opposition.
Once approved, the GMSF will provide the planning blueprint for housing and and commercial property development across Greater Manchester until 2038. Previous iterations of the plan had been scrapped over concerns regarding loss of greenbelt land, particularly around Stockport with plans for 4,000 new homes around High Lane alone. While the latest version published this autumn had reduced the amount of greenbelt sites allocated for development, further concerns of overdevelopment have been raised by local representatives.
The GMSF requires approval from all ten of Greater Manchester’s local authorities before it can be put to a public consultation and progressed further.