Launch of new masterplan for jobs, homes and sustainable growth

The latest blueprint which will set out the future of jobs, housing, green spaces and sustainable growth across the conurbation has now been published.

Places for Everyone, the successor to the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, is set to go out for public consultation following discussion by council leaders.

Council leader Eamonn O’Brien said: “We are determined to ensure the future prosperity of Bury and maintain our borough’s reputation as a great place in which live, work and study.

“To do that, it is essential that Bury has a long-term plan for jobs, the environment, new homes and sustainable growth.

“We need to revitalise and regenerate our town centres, utilising the brownfield sites within them to deliver new affordable homes.”

If and whenpublic consultation begins, every household in Bury will be sent a letter outlining what the plans mean in their own local area.

Cllr O’Brien said Places for Everyone complemented the Bury 2030 and Let’s Do It strategies, along with its climate action plan.

“One key aim of these plans is to have improved and better connected public transport, with less reliance on cars and the need to reduce our carbon emissions and pollution,” he said.

“We also need to create carbon-efficient houses which are genuinely affordable for the many who are struggling to get onto the housing ladder. This complements our local housing strategy, which aims to make provision for the different types of housing that we will need in Bury over the coming decades.

“And we also need to protect our green belt from unplanned development, where house builders are allowed to cherry pick bits of our green spaces, so that future development can happen where we want it to happen.”

Places for Everyone has changed considerably since the original GMSF was published in 2016.

In Bury, the amount of Green Belt land proposed for release has been reduced by 57% to 519 hectares, with 310 hectares of this proposed for new business development at the Northern Gateway.

The proposals, if implemented in full, would mean that 54.3% of land in Bury would still be Green Belt - the third highest of the nine participating Greater Manchester districts. The GM average would be 45.2%.

By participating in the joint plan, the council has been able to redistribute some its housing need to other districts. It means that the original 9,456 homes using the Government’s methodology has come down considerably to 7,228 homes now: the lowest percentage of any district involved in the plan.

Cllr O’Brien added: “We remain committed to the delivery of brownfield sites for housing, such as the former East Lancashire Paper Mill site and the former Tetrosyl site in Walmersley. However, we have the lowest supply of brownfield land of any of the participating districts, and this is enough to accommodate around 3,800 new homes, which is not enough to meet even the reduced PfE housing target for Bury of 7,228.

“Having a long-term plan is vital in making sure that new houses can be built where we want them, and with the necessary infrastructure to support them.”

Timeline:

Places for Everyone is due to be considered by GM leaders on 20 July. It will then be debated by Bury Council’s cabinet on 21 July and then by the full council on 28 July.

If council leaders in GM approve the plan, an eight-week period of public consultation will begin no earlier than 9 August before the plan is submitted to the Government for its examination next January.

For all the details of the Places for Everyone plan, including a list of FAQs, go to https://www.bury.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=16315

ENDS

Press release issued: 15 July 2021.