THE future of the Godley Green Garden Village development in Hyde moved a step forward following the submission of an outline planning application, with details of access, by Tameside Council.
Plans have been formally submitted for consideration by the Local Planning Authority which will decide whether the scheme meets the necessary requirements for approval.
The scheme comprises two villages, split by Godley Brook, with an indicative split of 1,250 dwellings in the west and 900 dwellings in the east. The western village comprises of a local centre, education and sports provision cluster, whilst the eastern village includes a centre with a community hall and cycle hub , a multi-user bridge connection to Hattersley, and sports complex to the south of Mottram Old Road.
If the green light is given, the delivery of up to 2,150 dwellings would significantly boost the supply of housing in the borough and assist the Council in meetings its long-term housing need, as required by the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework.
Alongside housing delivery, which includes a minimum 15% affordable housing provision, the scheme would deliver a host of other benefits including significant open space provision for the benefit of existing and future residents, job creation, and a host of ecological enhancement measures with the aim of increasing biodiversity by 10 per cent
Project lead Cllr Ged Cooney said: “We have to build more houses in Tameside and Godley Green is the best place for them. However, as I’ve said many times before, we’re not looking to throw up a concrete estate. Godley Green is a once in a generation opportunity to create a genuinely landscape led garden settlement that integrates with the existing communities as well as the rural surroundings, to provide new homes, employment, retail, social infrastructure, community and leisure facilities.
“This will be a garden village featuring high-quality housing with 15 per cent of it classed as affordable. That’s far more than the national target. The ambition is to be carbon neutral using a range of innovative sustainability measures. There will be a huge amount of green infrastructure including heat pumps and vehicle charging points.
“In total, we’ll be building on just 2.5 per cent of the borough’s greenbelt and whereas only 1 per cent of Godley Green is currently accessible, 50 per cent would be with delivery of the development. Godley Green will also be hugely significant in boosting growth and recovery of the local economy particularly in Hyde Town centre and Hattersley, resulting in the creation of over 550 job per year across a range of sectors spanning 15years.
“If the council does not drive this project forward now, significant benefits for the borough would be lost and I’m confident that If people take the time to study what we’re proposing, they’ll agree with me.”
The Godley Green scheme has been supported with a £10m grant from Home England. Electricity North West is also getting behind the Godley Green project ambitions for a zero carbon and green new community, providing investment to support projects that drive a green and renewable recovery from Covid-19.m
For more information on the Godley Green Garden Village development visit www.godleygreen.com
