The petition of residents of the United Kingdom,
Declares that the revised Greater Manchester Spatial Framework should avoid the residential development of 250 units on the greenbelt at the site of Hyde Bank Meadows in Romiley; notes that the proposed site contains well—used community facilities of Tangshutt fields including, playing fields, three football pitches, a children’s play area, and outdoor gym; further notes the proposed site is adjacent to Tangshutt Meadow, popular green space, a nature reserve, community orchards and allotments, which are all hugely valued by local people; further declares concern about insufficient road access and increasing traffic levels, endangering child safety by blocking a section the ‘Safe Route School’, loss of sports and exercise facilities for both individuals and teams, and loss of community event space which unites two areas of existing housing; further declares such a loss of this green space would be damaging to the local environment, the community, and the health and wellbeing of local people; and further notes the petitioners oppose plans for a new residential development on Hyde Park Meadows as set out in the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework—Revised Draft (2019).
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons that the House of Commons urges the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government not to support plans of this development.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Mr William Wragg , Official Report, 12 March 2019; Vol. 656, c. 313 .]
[P002437]
Observations from the Minister for Housing (Kit Malthouse):
The Government are aware that the planning authorities of Greater Manchester are preparing the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework and have recently consulted on a draft Framework.
The Government are clear that Green Belt land is highly valued and in 2018 published the revised National Planning Policy Framework which continues and increases the very high level of protection that Green Belt land has against inappropriate development.
The Government are also clear that the country has a housing crisis and that as a country we need to provide the housing that is needed. To assist with this the Government have set out a national method for determining the level of housing need for each local area and we have set a target of delivering 300,000 homes a year from the mid-2020s.
Local Plans are an essential planning tool to determine how and where development and infrastructure needs should be planned for and delivered. As the name suggests, these are local tools which local planning authorities prepare, with the appropriate engagement of their local communities. Furthermore, whatever proposals local planning authorities make in their local plans, these will be tested, following consultation, by an independent Planning Inspector (or panel of inspectors) at a public examination of the local plan.
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has a quasi-judicial role in the planning process. Therefore, while recognising that local people will have strong views on these matters, the Government do not make any specific comment on the proposals contained within the draft Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, but would urge people to participate in the consultation and engagement activities that are either underway or will be established for any future consultations.