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Places for Everyone joint development plan

Contents and introduction 

There is a statutory requirement for local authorities to have an up-to-date development plan in place that identifies enough land to accommodate new homes and jobs for a growing population

Up until December 2020 a joint development plan document of the ten Greater Manchester local authorities was being prepared, Greater Manchester's Plan for Jobs, Homes & the Environment (known as the 'GMSF'). The GMSF 2020 had reached the Regulation 19 (Publication) stage of the process. However, the decision at Stockport Council's meeting on 3 December to not submit the GMSF 2020 to the Secretary of State for independent examination following the consultation period, and the subsequent resolution at its Cabinet meeting on 4 December not to publish the GMSF 2020 for consultation, in effect signalled the end of the GMSF as a joint plan of the ten districts.

The remaining nine districts (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan) have subsequently decided to proceed with a joint plan for jobs, new homes and sustainable growth across their boroughs. This plan is to be known as 'Places for Everyone' (PfE).

PfE will establish a planning framework to provide the right homes, in the right places, for people across Greater Manchester (including Bury) up to 2037. It's also about creating jobs and improving infrastructure to ensure the future prosperity of Greater Manchester.

Whilst one of the key purposes of PfE is to make provision for the homes and jobs needed across Greater Manchester in a co-ordinated and managed way, it is also about establishing a framework for reducing inequalities, improving the lives of our residents, and transforming Greater Manchester into the world-leading city-region we know it can be.

PfE is a high level, strategic plan and does not cover everything that a district local plan would. Bury will still need to produce a Local Plan that will complement and help to take forward PfE's strategic policies.

Publication Places for Everyone 2021

Following consultation on two previous drafts of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) in 2016 and 2019, the PfE Joint Plan is now progressing to the formal Publication stage. The Publication PfE 2021 will be the version of the plan that each of the nine participating districts believe should be submitted to the Government for Examination.

The 'Publication stage' is a formal consultation on the plan pursuant to Regulation 19 of the Local Planning Regulations. It is a statutory stage that provides an opportunity for organisations and individuals to submit their final views on the content of the plan.

Comments on the Publication PfE 2021 are now being invited over an eight-week period from 9 August until 23:45 on 3 October 2021 on GM Consult.

Approval process

PfE 2021 received approval from the Places for Everyone Joint Committee of the nine participating districts and recommend the plan and supporting background documents to the districts on 20 July 2021, with the intention that each participating district approves the publication of the plan for consultation and subsequent submission to the Secretary of State for examination.

Approval has now also been given by the Executive committees of each of the nine participating districts (including Bury's Cabinet on 21 July 2021) to Publish the PfE and to make it available for comment.

The Submission of the PfE Joint Plan requires the approval of the nine Full Councils of each of the participating districts and this was approved by Bury's Full Council on 28 July 2021.

How can you find out more about Places for Everyone?

PfE 2021 and further supporting documents and background evidence is available at Greater Manchester Combined Authority - Places for Everyone.

A virtual exhibition space providing further information on Places for Everyone has also been developed which is accessible from Places for Everyone - consultation portal.

Bury Council's Planning Policy web pages, linked at the bottom of this page, also include further information, including a series of Frequently Asked Questions which highlight the main implications of the plan for Bury.

Both Bury Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority will also be regularly posting information via their respective social media channels.

If you cannot access this information online, please call our Places for Everyone answerphone service on 0161-253-7800, where you can leave your name and telephone number and someone will return your call.

In addition, copies of Places for Everyone will be available for inspection at Bury Town Hall reception, Ramsbottom, Bury, Radcliffe and Prestwich libraries and at the Tottington Centre during their normal opening hours. You can also keep up-to-date on other ways in which we will be engaging with the local community and other stakeholders on Places for Everyone by visiting the Council's Places for Everyone web site.

How can you have your say on Places for Everyone?

Comments on the Publication PfE 2021 are now being invited over an eight-week period from 9 August until 23:45 on 3 October 2021.

At this stage, we are asking you whether you think the plan has been prepared in accordance with legal and procedural requirements and meets the four 'tests of soundness' (as set out in paragraph 35 of the NPPF - See: Assets Publishing Service - National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)).

All comments on the Publication version of the plan should be made to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Please note that it will only be comments that are made on this version of the plan that will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate. Previous comments made on the plan will be summarised in the material sent as part of PfE background documents. People that have responded to previous versions of the GMSF may want to make their comments again as a formal representation.

We would prefer comments to be submitted by completing the online response form at: GM Consult. Alternatively, you can download the response form available on the GMCA website and emailing it to placesforeveryone@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk.

You can also submit your comments to us by:

Comments and names will be published. Full details of how your information will be shared can be found in the Places for Everyone Privacy Notice.

Please refer to the representation guidance notes when preparing representations.

What happens next?

Once the period for making representations ends, it is intended to submit the Publication version of Places for Everyone to the Government alongside all supporting evidence and comments made at this stage. Please note that it will only be comments that are made on this version of the plan that will be submitted to the Government. People that have responded to previous versions of the GMSF may want to make their comments again as a formal representation.

The Government will then appoint a Planning Inspector (or a number of Inspectors) to undertake an examination of plan. Once the plan has been submitted, the Inspector will take control of the examination process from start to finish. The Inspector's role is to examine whether the submitted plan meets the tests of soundness defined in the NPPF and meets all the relevant legislative requirements.

How to participate in the Examination

By using the response form you will be asked whether you wish to participate in the Examination and whether you wish to be notified of any of the following:

  • Submission of Places for Everyone for independent examination.
  • Publication of the Inspector's Report on the Examination of Places for Everyone.
  • The Adoption of Places for Everyone.

Alternatively, if you make representations by email or by letter, you should state whether you wish to participate in the Examination and/or be kept informed of the progress of Places for Everyone.

Further detailed information

The following pages provide some additional information on the Places for Everyone Joint Plan and what it means for Bury. This includes some high-level information via the links below as well as some more detailed information that is set out under a series of frequently asked questions.