Controversial Godley Green plans unaffected by spatial framework demise

The controversial Godley Green garden village plan for thousands of new homes is to press forward regardless of the collapse of the region’s spatial framework plan, bosses say.

The Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) – in its original form – is no more after it failed to clear a vote of Stockport’s full council.

The proposed site for the Godley Green garden village, which is open green belt land to the north of Mottram Old Road in Hyde, was proposed for 2,350 homes under the masterplan.

However at a meeting of the strategic planning and capital monitoring panel, Tameside council leader Brenda Warrington confirmed the contentious plans would be going ahead under a ‘plan of nine’ arrangement.

Stalybridge South councillor Doreen Dickinson had asked what the impact would be on the scheme if the spatial framework did not proceed.

She said: “The council have government monies tied up in this scheme, if it didn’t proceed would we have to pay any money back?”

However cabinet member for housing, Councillor Ged Cooney said the vote in Stockport would have ‘no impact at all’ on the Godley Green plans.

“It has no impact, it will be happening and the framework will still be going ahead but in a different form,” he said.

Coun Warrington said that following a combined authority meeting, the decision was made to move forward with a joint plan for the remaining nine local authorities, without Stockport.

“So all the of the work that has been done for the GMSF will continue to be required and will become part of  the plan of nine which will be slightly revised over the course of the next few weeks with a view to the consultation that would have happened now if all ten authorities had agreed, with that happening middle of next year,” she said.

“The plan of nine will go forward with the work that has already been done, so Godley Green is still very much a feature.”

Tameside council has already committed several million pounds in principle to move towards putting in a planning application for the garden village, which has been championed by Stalybridge and Hyde MP Jonathan Reynolds.

Chiefs agreed in December last year to enter into a grant funding agreement with Homes England to secure £10m for the critical infrastructure required to open up the site for residential development.

Because of the timeframes required around this funding, the town hall is preparing to move forward with the development whether or not the regional housing masterplan is approved by the secretary of state.

Consequently, officers are preparing a ‘hybrid’ planning application covering the whole site based on a ‘Very Special Circumstances’ case to support the release from the greenbelt.

At a cabinet meeting in November, councillors agreed to progress to the next stage of the business case for the garden village, which amounts to costs of £2.75m.

The cabinet report states that the costs of pursuing the planning application is likely to be in the region of £2.125m – with £1m coming from council coffers  – and bosses are aiming to submit a planning application for the site by February.

Main image:

The site where the Godley Green garden village could be built in Tameside with 2,350 homes.