The revised Greater Manchester Spatial Framework has been published today, 23 October 2020. It is the final draft which is set to go to the county’s ten councils in November.
If approved, it will then be submitted to the Secretary of State for consideration before a final set of consultations culminating in a public inquiry.
The draft documents are available to view here: https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/what-we-do/housing/gmsf2020/the-plan/
The main remaining issue affecting the Denton and Reddish constituency has been the proposals for the Bredbury Industrial Estate expansion deep into the Tame Valley.
Despite sizeable objections from local residents, councillors and Andrew Gwynne MP and William Wragg MP, the site proposal has been allocated in every version of the Spatial Framework.
In the latest version, and after objections from Tameside Council, the site proposal has been shrunk and moved away from the River Tame, which is the Stockport borough boundary with Tameside. This protects more of the Tame Valley than originally proposed but still requires Green Belt removal.
In addition, there is a live planning application for the entirety of the site currently before Stockport Council which could be granted permission despite this change to the Spatial Framework.
Commenting, Andrew Gwynne MP said:
“I welcome the recognition by Stockport Council that the original Bredbury Parkway Industrial Estate proposal would have a devastating impact on the Tame Valley and on Hulmes Wood and Haughton Dale Local Nature Reserves which has now led to a smaller proposal in the draft Spatial Framework going forward.
“The reduction in the allocation would now create a larger green buffer in the Tame Valley which is a welcome move forward, but my significant concerns about the need for any development here, the environmental impact it has on the area and the traffic problems it will create all remain unchanged.
“I’m also extremely worried that there is still a live planning application for the entirety of the site which could be granted planning approval before any changes to the GMSF come into place in 2022 in which case the ‘smaller allocation’ becomes an irrelevance.
“I urge Stockport’s Councillors to reject this application and protect our valuable and shared Tame Valley from this hostile and preemptive planning proposal.”