Protests oppose Greater Manchester greenbelt housing plan

Hundreds of protestors gathered outside Stockport Town Hall on Saturday

Hundreds of people are using the last weekend of a consultation period to protest against a plan to build on greenbelt land in Greater Manchester.

The Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) identifies sites for housing developments that may be built on over the next 20 years.

It includes greenbelt sites in Tameside, Bury, Trafford and Stockport.

Protests are being held in locations across the area and follow similar marches earlier in January.

The first draft of the plan, which includes both brownfield and greenbelt sites, was revealed in October.

A draft report by GMSF said the release of some green belt was "essential"

Stockport Council leader Alex Ganotis said at the time the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) would do all it could to ensure the developments were done "in the right areas".

However, Bury's leader Rishi Shori later said he had been left with no option but to open up the area's greenbelt, as Bury's quota of 13,000 homes could not all be built on brownfield.

GMCA said in 2015, 47% of the total land area of Greater Manchester was designated as greenbelt and this would be reduced to 43% if the plans were approved.

Meanwhile, West Salford Greenway, Rectory Lane, Standish in Wigan and land within the Roch Valley in Rochdale would be newly designated as greenbelt.

The consultation period on the first draft of the plan was originally due to end in December, but was extended until 16 January by GMCA to ensure "everyone who wants to has the opportunity to take part".

'Last attempt'

About 45,000 people have logged on to the consultation website and Greater Manchester's lead planning officer Chris Findley has promised that opponents of the plans will be listened to.

"The greenbelt was set in the 1980s and it will continue to be there in the next 30 years as well," he said.

"We have been very careful about site selection, but in this consultation draft, we think we do have to look at some of the greenbelt."

Several other local MPs have spoken out against the plan, opposing it on the issues including greenbelt building, infrastructure concerns and affordable housing quotas.

Campaigners have been holding marches in protest against the housing plans

Some, including Conservatives William Wragg and David Nuttall and Labour's Liz McInnes, Lisa Nandy and Andrew Gwynne, took part in a debate about it at Westminster Hall in December.

In October, Mr Gwynne - who called the plan a "greenbelt-grabbing exercise" - and Conservative MP Chris Green vowed to fight plans to use some greenbelt land in parts of the scheme.

Campaigners are protesting in Stockport, Salford, Tameside and Wigan on Saturday and Sunday.

Charlotte Castro, who helped to organise the Tameside event, said she understood houses needed to be built, but questioned whether "affordable housing for young people" would be built on the land.

She said the march on Sunday was "a last attempt" to get their protest message heard.