Stockport begins work on new Local Plan

Stockport Council is set to begin work on a new Local Plan to set out the borough’s strategy for housing and development following its exit from the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF).

Stockport Council’s Economy and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee are expected to give the go ahead on a proposal to update the Local Plan and align it with the 10-year vision set out in the recently published One Stockport Borough Plan.

The Local Plan will guide the delivery of over 18,000 new homes across Stockport by 2038. The local plan will also cover a wide range of development needs for the borough, including new homes, transport and infrastructure. It will also reinforce the council’s commitment to protecting the environment and working together to address climate change in line with the One Stockport vision. The council will also take a brownfield-first approach to development, as guided by the Borough Plan and a recent Council call for sites.

In a report to councillors, a draft plan is expected to be produced and put out to public consultation in the Autumn of this year, with a 15-year final plan expected to be adopted by Autumn 2023.

Last year, Stockport Council voted against the GMSF, a city-region wide strategy for meeting all ten Greater Manchester borough’s housing needs collectively. Councillors rejected the framework over the risk to Green Belt sites across the borough, particularly in Heald Green and High Lane. However, Andy Burnham and other proponents of the GMSF expect that Stockport will be forced to build a further 5,000 homes in the borough as a result of the town’s withdrawal from the framework as it could no longer share its housing allocation with other boroughs with more brownfield sites available.

Stockport Council’s Economy and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee are recommended to endorse the new approach to developing a Local Plan for the borough in their next meeting on 13th July.