The leaders of nine of Greater Manchester’s Boroughs Manchester Leaders have unveiled their latest vision for new homes, enhanced natural assets and revitalised town centres.
The Places for Everyone plan of nine Greater Manchester districts – a long-term plan for jobs, new homes, and sustainable growth – has been published ahead of a meeting next week and a proposed public consultation this summer.
It replaces the Spatial Framework plan first published back in 2016 and which was thrown out after Stockport Council rejected its proposal.
The plan will now be presented at a joint committee meeting on 20 July before being scrutinised by elected members across Greater Manchester. The aim will be to bring the plan to public consultation in August.
In the proposals, Greater Manchester will work to bring forward plans for a Green Spaces Fund to help every community across the city-region improve and enhance local pocket parks and public green spaces.
Leaders will publish a plan to deliver 30,000 zero-carbon homes for social rent and will shortly publish a report from its recent Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) pilot with Natural England.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said:
“Greater Manchester is setting out a clear and ambitious vision for new homes, enhanced green spaces and revitalised town centres. Linked to our plans for a zero-carbon future and good jobs and growth, this vision represents a major milestone as our city-region maps out its recovery from the pandemic.
“If we want to build back from the pandemic in a way that brings everyone with us and strikes at the root of inequality, we need a plan that strengthens our economy and our society against future challenges, and puts us in the best position to take advantage of new opportunities.
“We are already using our unique devolved powers and transforming our towns and cities so that they’re fit for the future. Through the pioneering Mayoral Development Corporation in Stockport and Oldham’s Mills Strategy, work is well under way to transform our urban centres by delivering good quality homes, sustainable public transport, and regeneration of the kind that will genuinely ‘level up’ our places.
“By building more low-carbon homes and equipping people with new retrofitting skills, we can also help to meet our goal of carbon neutrality by 2038 and lay the foundations for investment in green industry and innovation.
“We can no longer accept that the car is always king, and Places for Everyone will set out where inclusive growth can take place in areas well connected by an accessible, affordable, high-quality public transport infrastructure – our Bee Network.
“We all share the same priorities: we want to see better homes, better jobs, and better transport for everyone in our city-region. Everything we do is driven by that vision, and whether through Places for Everyone or other projects like the Homelessness Prevention Strategy and our plans for a world-class integrated transport network, we will continue to work together right across Greater Manchester to create a place where we can all succeed.”
The Places for Everyone plan was developed after Stockport Council decided last year to withdraw from the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework. Stockport will now prepare its own local plan for new homes and sustainable development, while all local authority areas will continue to work collectively on a range of shared objectives and strategies including the Local Industrial Strategy, the Five-Year Environment Plan, and the 2040 Transport Strategy.
