Places for Everyone is a joint development plan of nine districts across Greater Manchester. This meets the 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
Nine Greater Manchester districts of Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan created a joint plan for jobs, new homes and sustainable growth across their boroughs, 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. 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.
View the interactive consultation website that hosts a wealth of information about the People for Everyone plan, including the full outline of the plan.
Places for Everyone plan submission
On 14th February 2022, the Places for Everyone joint plan (PfE), supporting documents and 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.
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 during 2021.
The PfE submission documents are available to view on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority website and can also be viewed in local libraries.
Plan examination
The PfE joint development plan is now the subject of an independent examination, conducted by the Planning Inspectorate. This process began from the date of submission (14th February 2022) and will conclude upon receipt of the Planning Inspectors report. The Planning Inspectorate have published guidance about the examination process, which may be of interest.
The Secretary of State appointed William Fieldhouse BA (Hons) MA MRTPI, Louise Gibbons BA (Hons) MRTPI and Steven Lee BA (Hons) MA MRTPI to undertake the examination of PfE.
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).
Examination hearings concerning the plan commenced on Tuesday 1st November 2022 at 9.30am and are expected to run until Thursday 30th March 2023. Hearings take place at the former Manchester Fire and Rescue Training Centre, Cassidy Close, Manchester M4 5HU.
GMCA has appointed Helen Wilson and Yvonne Parker as joint Programme Officers. Their role is to assist in the organisation and administration of the examination under the direction of the Inspectors. They act as the communication channel between the Inspectors, GMCA and the nine GM local authorities, and other participants. All correspondence regarding the examination is dealt with by the Programme Officers and their contact details can be found on the examination website.
Further details of the examination, including the hearings programme and any changes to the proposed hearings programme are provided on the examination website. The examination website is hosted by the Programme Officers and the contact is controlled by the Inspectors and Programme Officers. This is where updates and documents in relation to the examination will be made available to participants and the 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.
About Place for Everyone
Why the Places for Everyone plan has been produced
Proposed sites in Bury
The Places for Everyone plan is also Bury's plan for homes, jobs and the environment. This will provide new homes, with identified land for new and expanding businesses and how these developments will be served by transport links and social infrastructure such as schools and health services.
The development sites proposed in the PfE plan have been chosen because they:
- are close to or surrounded by the existing urban area, therefore limiting urban sprawl
- are already well connected by roads and public transport or have the potential to be well connected
- are close to social infrastructure, such as schools, health care and shops
- are large enough for developers to pay for new infrastructure, including schools and transport
- support borough-wide priorities, such as the regeneration of Radcliffe.
Implications for Bury's green belt
All nine Greater Manchester districts are continuing to work hard to deliver brownfield sites in order to aid urban regeneration and minimise the amount of greenfield land needed to meet the Government's targets.
The vast majority of land that has been developed in Greater Manchester in recent years has been on brownfield land. This has led to considerable regeneration of areas in the conurbation, including in and around the City Centre and in East Manchester. There is a commitment across Greater Manchester to continue this and this is reflected in the Places for Everyone Plan.
Over recent years, Bury has been successful in promoting the redevelopment of brownfield sites and, unlike other districts, Bury does not have large swathes of redundant brownfield land available. As a result, there is simply not enough brownfield sites to meet the government targets for new house building and Bury has no option other than to release some of our Green Belt land to meet our housing targets.
This latest Publication Places for Everyone Plan 2021 proposes a net reduction of 519 hectares of Bury's green belt, or 9 percent of the total. However, of this:
- 310 hectares is land for the business-led proposal at the Northern Gateway site at Heywood/Pilsworth
- 209 hectares is for housing at Elton reservoir, Walshaw and Simister/Bowlee.
The loss of green belt proposed under the Places for Everyone plan has dropped significantly compared to previous versions:
- 2016 to 1,210 hectares (20 percent of the total)
- 2019 to 714 hectares (12 percent of the total)
- 2020 and 2021 to 519 hectares (9 percent of the total).
The development proposed on land currently identified as green belt will be planned so there is improved access for walking and cycling, for example opening up new country park areas around Elton reservoir and the Northern Gateway site.
Environment proposals
The Places for Everyone plan is not just about accommodating development. It also includes a range of policies designed to protect and enhance Greater Manchester's environment.
Climate change and carbon reduction
It will support Greater Manchester's vision to be at the forefront of action on climate change and to make its fair contribution to international commitments by becoming a carbon neutral city region by 2038. In supporting these ambitions, climate change is a key theme running throughout the PfE plan and it is only through a combination of actions that it can be properly addressed. In particular the Places for Everyone plan sets out:
- methods to de-carbonise the city region through new and existing development, effective land management and through the provision of infrastructure and new technologies
- the aim of delivering a carbon neutral Greater Manchester no later than 2038, with a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, including measures to ensure that all new homes and commercial/industrial buildings achieve net zero carbon by 2028
- the delivery of renewable and low carbon energy schemes through heat and energy networks
- measures that will be taken in Greater Manchester to future proof the city region by mitigating and making it more resilient to environmental challenges, including climate change
- water based measures, such as reducing flood risk, to adapt and reduce the impacts of climate change
- measures to support improvements in air quality
- measures to help Greater Manchester achieve significant reductions in waste.
Natural environment
The PfE plan also includes a range of policies designed to protect and enhance Greater Manchester's many and varied green spaces and features which are used in many different ways and afforded many different values by the people who live, work or visit the city region. In particular, it supports the important role of Greater Manchester's natural assets by:
- valuing the special qualities and key sensitivities of Greater Manchester's landscapes
- seeking to protect and enhance Greater Manchester's network of green and blue infrastructure
- seeking a significant overall enhancement of biodiversity and geodiversity
- seeking to maintain a new and defensible Green Belt which will endure beyond this plan period.
Historic environment
The PfE plan proposes that we should proactively work with partners to preserve and enhance the significance of Greater Manchester's designated and non-designated heritage assets and their settings.
Opportunities will be pursued to aid the promotion, enjoyment, understanding and interpretation of heritage assets, as a means of maximising wider public benefits and reinforcing Greater Manchester's distinct identity and sense of place.