Rethink on cards for green belt proposals
GREATER Manchester’s highly controversial green belt plans look increasingly likely to be radically scaled back after the government insisted protected land will only be released for housing as a very last resort.
Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said council chiefs will have to ‘categorically’ prove they’ve exhausted all other options before developing protected green sites.
He said all brownfield sites should be considered ‘as a priority’ and that homes should be packed closer together help to meet demand.
Green belt land, he added, would only be released in ‘exceptional circumstances’.
That could mean Greater Manchester leaders, who have earmarked swathes of protected spaces for thousands of homes, having a major rethink.
The region’s 20-year housing masterplan will have to be endorsed by the 10 council leaders and newly-elected mayor before facing a public inquiry.
It will then have to be signed off by the Secretary of State.
There are growing fears the plan could hit the buffers at that stage, if it is deemed to include too much green belt development, or to have misjudged the number of new houses needed.
The plan has faced fierce criticism from campaigners, MPs and mayoral candidates.
Sources say some councils - including Oldham and Stockport - are considering withdrawing some of the more controversial elements of their plans to ensure they get through.
Leaders have said that to meet demand, green belt development is unavoidable.
Sources admit the draft plan over provides for industrial space and that a number of green belt plans can be easily scaled back.
Mr Javid, speaking about the government’s housing white paper, said: “This [paper] will not entail recklessly ripping up our countryside.
“We promised the green belt was safe in our hands. That is still the case.”
During a House of Commons debate on the issue, he said every protection for green belt land will be maintained.
When pressed by Stockport Tory MPs William Wragg and Mary Robinson, who have staunchly opposed green belt development in their constituencies, Mr Javid said councils will have to prove they have jumped through a number of ‘hoops’ before being given permission to build on protected land.
He also said developers will be forced to use-orlose planning permissions so town halls can ensure new housing is delivered.