The initial six-week consultation period, which closes on Friday, March 26, will feature the concept masterplan for the site including proposals for investment in high-quality homes, jobs, green space, services and facilities that will serve the area for decades.
A dedicated website – www.godleygreen.com – has been launched to keep the public fully up to date. It’s is a one-stop shop offering all the latest news and information, answers to frequently-asked questions, and a chance to give feedback on the masterplan and see what is being considered and how things will progress.
The council wants the project to be led by people rather than developers, and residents are being asked for their views so they can help to shape the proposals. Because of covid restrictions it will begin with virtual engagement events followed by open meetings when conditions allow. The first public online engagement sessions take place on Thursday, February 25 (2 to 3.30pm and 6 to 7.30pm) bookable via the website.
Godley Green has been identified as an area of residential and economic growth and since securing £10 million in grant funding from Homes England, Tameside Council has moved ahead with its plans. The initiative will progress through a series of stages, with communities and stakeholders fully involved in each one.
The scheme, which involves building up to 2,350 homes of all types, is one of the largest and most ambitious regeneration programmes in the North West. It will play a pivotal role in rebalancing Tameside’s housing market and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority has recognised it as having the potential to satisfy as much as a quarter of the borough’s housing requirements over the next 10 to 15 years.
Outdoor space and clean energy are an integral part of the project which encourages healthy living. The plans, which open up new connections to Manchester, Hyde, Hattersley and the Peak District, have been designed to make walking, cycling and public transport a better choice than driving. When car journeys are necessary, the M67 is close by. A planning application for the A57 Link Roads (Mottram Bypass) is expected soon.
Ideal for the modern economy, and connected to Tameside’s black fibre broadband network to make working from home easier, Godley Green’s properties should generate prosperity in Hyde and Hattersley by helping to create not only more jobs but better-paid ones.
Godley Green project lead Cllr Ged Cooney said: “We always said we wanted the public involved and the new website will keep them up to date and allow them to have their say.
“We want Godley Green to be a thriving, sustainable and beautiful community based on garden village principles. I’m sure it will be one of the best things that has ever happened to Tameside but to achieve that we need the public play their part.”
Cllr Oliver Ryan, Tameside Council’s executive member for finance and economic growth, added: “As I’ve said before, Godley Green is a radically new concept in terms of housing developments. Not only is it clean and green, it represents a break from the old piecemeal methods. An integral feature of that break is the involvement of the public at every stage.”
