Places for Everyone plan progresses to next stage with examination by Government inspectors

PLACES for Everyone, the plan for new homes, jobs, and sustainable growth in Greater Manchester, is set to undergo public examination by the Planning Inspectorate later this year.

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 in 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.”

Places for Everyone is a long-term joint development plan of nine Greater Manchester districts (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan) which will determine the kind of development that takes place in their boroughs, maximising the use of brownfield land and urban spaces while protecting Green Belt land from the risk of unplanned development and development by appeal. It sets out how Greater Manchester will meet its housing targets under the Government’s Local Housing Need framework, ensuring that the city-region maintains a five-year land supply of deliverable housing sites.

The plan will also ensure all new developments are sustainably integrated into Greater Manchester’s Bee Network or supported by new transport infrastructure.

For more information about Places for Everyone, visit: Places For Everyone - Greater Manchester Combined Authority (greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk) (opens link in new window).

Further details about the hearings and the inspection process is available on the Programme Officer’s website, at: GMCA – Places For Everyone Joint DPD | Helen Wilson Consultancy Limited (hwa.uk.com) (opens link in new window).

The full programme of hearings is available at: IN12-final.pdf (hwa.uk.com) (opens link in new window).

Article Published: 24/08/2022 14:52 PM