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Places for Everyone joint development plan

Nine councils in Greater Manchester have now submitted the Places for Everyone plan to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. The plan has been submitted together with all the supporting documents, background evidence, and representations received during the final stage of public consultation, which took place from 9 August to 3 October 2021. Independent Inspectors will now be appointed to undertake an independent examination into the plan. For further information and to view the Submission Documents please see: Greater Manchester Combined Authority - Places for Everyone submission documents

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 called '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 the plan area 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.

Current progress

On 14 February 2022, the Places for Everyone Joint Plan (PfE) and other supporting documents (including all representations received in relation to the Publication PfE) were submitted to the Secretary of State under Regulation 22 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.

Independent Inspectors will now be appointed to undertake an independent examination into the plan.

This follows consultation on two previous drafts of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) in 2016 and 2019 and an invitation for representations on the Publication PfE Joint Plan between 9 August and 3 October 2021.

The PfE submission documents are available to view on Greater Manchester Combined Authority - Places for Everyone submission documents. The documents can also be viewed online in local libraries.

Similarly, the Council will retain its own PfE web pages for information. This includes a series of frequently asked questions which highlight the main implications of the plan for Bury (see links below).

If you have any questions in relation to Places for Everyone, please email: planningandhousing@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk

What happens next?

The Places for Everyone Joint Development Plan Document will now be subject to an independent examination to be conducted by the Planning Inspectorate. This process begins from the date of submission until receipt of the appointed Planning Inspectors Report. The Planning Inspectorate have published guidance about the examination process which may be of interest and is available on: Gov.uk - Local Plans: Examining local plans


Once details of the examination process are confirmed they will be advertised and made available online at: Greater Manchester Combined Authority - Places for Everyone

Following the submission of PfE, the Secretary of State will appoint a number of Planning Inspectors to carry out an independent examination of plan. This process is dealt with by the Planning Inspectorate and the Inspectors will take control of the examination process from start to finish.

The examination will assess whether the plan has been prepared in accordance with legal and procedural requirements and if it is sound. The four tests of soundness are set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

The Inspector will consider the evidence provided by the participating Greater Manchester districts to support the plan and any representations which have been put forward by local people and other interested parties. In most cases the examination will include hearing sessions which are held in public.

At the end of the examination the Inspector will issue a report recommending whether or not the plan can be adopted. In most cases the report will recommend some changes that are necessary to allow the plan to be adopted. These are known as 'main modifications'.

Assuming that the document is considered to be capable of adoption (with or without main modifications), the ultimate decision to adopt must be taken by the Full Councils of each of the participating districts.

Further information on the examination process and the role the Planning Inspectorate plays can be found on Gov.uk - Local Plans: The examination process

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.