Plans for new homes and revitalised town centres in Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester Leaders have unveiled an ambitious vision for new homes, enhanced natural assets and revitalised town centres.

Mayor Andy Burnham has pledged to tackle Greater Manchester's own 'north-south divide' by rebalancing the region's economy.

Places for Everyone, a plan of Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Tameside, Trafford, and Wigan councils, will determine the kind of development that takes place across the city-region, maximising the use of brownfield land and urban spaces while protecting green belt land from the risk of unplanned development. It will also ensure all new developments are sustainably integrated into Greater Manchester’s transport network or joined by new infrastructure.

Leaders say it will also help to create the conditions for achieving Greater Manchester’s wider ambitions to tackle inequality and address crises in housing, jobs and skills.

Earlier this year the Greater Manchester Homelessness Prevention Strategy set a target of delivering 30,000 zero-carbon homes for social rent, while initiatives like the new Retrofitting Task Force will bring together partners from local and national government, investors, education providers and energy suppliers to address the challenge of making homes and buildings energy efficient and fit for a low-carbon future.

The plan will be presented at a joint committee meeting on 20 July before being scrutinised by elected members across Greater Manchester. The aim will be to bring the plan to public consultation in August.

Places for Everyone sits alongside a host of bold initiatives that are being rolled out across the city-region, including:

Green space enhancement work

Steps are being taken across Greater Manchester to transform and revitalise green spaces, bringing them back into public use for the benefit of local communities.

Manchester city centre will see the creation of its first public park in the Mayfield development, spanning 6.5 acres of lawns, meadows and biodiversity areas.

In the Victoria North regeneration programme, a 113-acre River Park will connect the seven emerging neighbourhoods of the project and open up the Irk River Valley for the first time in decades through high-quality public park and green space, along with new walking and cycling routes to encourage active travel.

Salford is now home to the 154-acre RHS Bridgewater, the country’s fifth national garden, offering local residents free weekly access and supporting volunteering, community health and wellbeing, and the local economy.

In Oldham, Northern Roots is creating the UK’s largest urban farm and eco-park, supported by Greater Manchester’s Environment Fund and Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

30,000 zero carbon homes for social rent

As part of Greater Manchester’s Homelessness Prevention Strategy, Leaders will publish a plan to deliver 30,000 zero-carbon homes for social rent. A new commitment to work to radically improve temporary accommodation standards will also focus on families experiencing homelessness.

Mills Strategy

Textile Mills are a defining feature of the Greater Manchester landscape. Their future is at risk unless new uses can be found. With the support of Historic England, Oldham Council has produced a Textile Mills Strategy which highlights the potential role that mills could play in providing high quality housing and employment opportunities, while taking into account the viability challenges that exist.

Town Centre Mayoral Development Corporations

Mayoral Development Corporations (MDC) are statutory bodies created to bring forward the regeneration of an area, providing a blueprint for how devolved powers can help deliver new housing, sustainability, public transport infrastructure, and innovation at a local level.

Building on the success of the Stockport MDC launched in 2019, the first in the country to focus on a town centre location, further work is under way to identify opportunities to support regeneration in other districts.

Nature Recovery

Greater Manchester will shortly publish a report from its recent Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) pilot with Natural England.

The pilot sets out the priorities and opportunities to tackle the biodiversity emergency and enhance the natural environment, both for nature and for wider benefits to our environment, economy and society. It also sets out the practical actions to needed to deliver on this.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “Greater Manchester is setting out a clear and ambitious vision for new homes, enhanced green spaces and revitalised town centres. Linked to our plans for a zero-carbon future and good jobs and growth, this vision represents a major milestone as our city-region maps out its recovery from the pandemic.

“If we want to build back from the pandemic in a way that brings everyone with us and strikes at the root of inequality, we need a plan that strengthens our economy and our society against future challenges, and puts us in the best position to take advantage of new opportunities.

“We can no longer accept that the car is always king, and Places for Everyone will set out where inclusive growth can take place in areas well connected by an accessible, affordable, high-quality public transport infrastructure – our Bee Network.

“We all share the same priorities: we want to see better homes, better jobs, and better transport for everyone in our city-region. Everything we do is driven by that vision, and whether through Places for Everyone or other projects like the Homelessness Prevention Strategy and our plans for a world-class integrated transport network, we will continue to work together right across Greater Manchester to create a place where we can all succeed.”

Mayor Paul Dennett, City Mayor of Salford and GMCA Lead for Housing and Homelessness, said: “Now is the time to be moving forward with an ambitious vision for a recovery focused on delivering good-quality affordable homes, creating good jobs, and boosting our transition to a low-carbon economy. This is the right thing to do– not just to drive our economic recovery from the pandemic, but to empower the work we’re doing to tackle inequalities and build a better future for everyone in Greater Manchester.

“We are absolutely committed to sustainable development that makes the best possible use of space and protects our places from the threat of unplanned development. Ninety per cent of the new homes in this plan will be located across urban areas, meaning growth can happen in places where we want it, and not be dictated by planning appeals.

“Through close cooperation and collaboration with Stockport, and by working together to share expertise and resources, we can support economic growth, bring in new investment, and promote sustainable development in all areas of Greater Manchester.”