PLACES for Everyone, the plan for new homes, jobs, and sustainable growth in Greater Manchester, which replaced the controversial Spatial Plan is set to undergo public examination by the Planning Inspectorate later this year.
The Ambitious plan for homes, jobs, and sustainable growth sets out a long-term vision for sustainable development in nine districts up to 2037, creating new homes and jobs, maximising brownfield land use and protecting green belt
Beginning on 1 November, a series of hearings will take place in which Planning Inspectors appointed by the Secretary of State will test whether the plan is sound and legally compliant. This means that the Inspectors have to be satisfied that the plan is positively prepared, justified, effective, and consistent with national policy, and that it meets legal requirements including the duty to cooperate.
The sessions will also hear representations from individuals, community groups and organisations who submitted comments during the consultation on the publication plan in 2021.
Almost 200 requests were made to participate in the hearings, and around 25 participants have been invited to attend each session. Members of the public also have the option to attend and observe proceedings in person, but only invited participants will be able to take part in the hearings. Capacity at these sessions will be limited, and people are advised to contact the programme officers, who have organised the sessions, by email at info@programmeofficers.co.uk to check availability of places before attending. All sessions will be streamed live online, and will also be made available on the GMCA website.
The hearings will be held in blocks of two or three weeks and are expected to run until the end of March 2023.
Deputy Mayor Paul Dennett, Greater Manchester’s Lead for Places for Everyone, said:
This public examination is an important stage in the process of bringing forward our Places for Everyone plan, which we believe will enable us to deliver the kind of positive, sustainable growth that we need to see in Greater Manchester.
Over the next few months people will be able to follow every stage of these hearings, as our plan and the supporting evidence are subject to close examination by Government inspectors and the people and organisations who have been invited to participate.
We see Places for Everyone as the most effective plan to build good, affordable, net-zero homes, to support industrial innovation and good jobs, to protect and enhance our green spaces, and generate inward investment into our city-region. It will enable us to continue delivering on our brownfield-first approach to development and meeting our housing targets, with support from the Government’s Brownfield Housing Fund.
As we move forward, it’s vital that the Government continues to work with us to address these viability issues and deliver the types and tenures of housing that Greater Manchester needs. Never has this been more important than now, when the intersecting crises of housing, inflation, and rising fuel bills present real challenges for families and communities throughout our city-region.
