Andy Burnham launches plan for 'left-behind' town centres

Shoppers walk past shuttered units in Droylsden

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has launched a plan to transform "left behind" town centres in the region.

He said it was part of the rewrite of a controversial housing strategy, which had included plans to build on the area's greenbelt land.

The "town centre challenge" would instead target building on derelict "brownfield" land, he said.

All 10 boroughs in the region are invited to nominate a town for the scheme before the New Year.

The original Spatial Framework strategy identified potential sites for 225,000 new homes in Greater Manchester by 2035, but drew criticism, particularly over the amount of greenbelt land allocated for development.

Protests against Spatial Framework proposals were staged across Greater Manchester

Thousands of people attended protests against the plans late last year and earlier this year, leading to a decision to redraft the strategy - set to be published next June.

Speaking about the "town centre challenge", Mr Burnham said: "It's about refocusing our whole approach to housing and planning away from a greenfield-first approach, perhaps that we have seen in the past, towards one where we are going first to the brownfield sites".

"This new initiative is all about regenerating town centres across Greater Manchester which have felt left behind."

The city-region has eight principal towns in addition to about 20 smaller towns and more than 50 further significant local and suburban centres, a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Combined Authority said.

Andy Burnham said "some green sites will still be needed"

Mr Burnham said there was a "massive housing requirement" and "high levels of traffic congestion".

"We need to build a new future for those towns through higher-density mixed and affordable housing, with local retail and leisure facilities and supported by transport and digital connectivity."

Mr Burnham said the "new approach will not mean that there won't still be difficult planning decisions ahead and some green sites will still be needed".