Proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) will make it easier to plan for fewer homes. The Government’s justification is for greater emphasis on the plan-making system, but plans will now not have to be ‘justified’ or fully meet objectively assessed needs. However, this means Local Plans may be less robust than their predecessors. Some local authorities co-create regional plans which are more reflective of the way city-regions develop and function. Places for Everyone, the Greater Manchester-wide development plan is one such plan – but its possible collapse due to the NPPF reforms demonstrate how complex it is to create these plans.
House prices in Manchester have risen by more than virtually every other UK city over recent years, with a 9.3% increase in the past 12 months alone. A huge part of the reason for that is the city region hasn’t been building enough new homes. This in itself is because enough homes have not been planned, and most Local Plans are more than a decade old and don’t reflect the current housing needs.
Places for Everyone was meant to resolve these issues. It’s a strategic plan for the whole city region dealing with difficult but necessary issues – like green belt release – and has been more than 8 years in the making. Whilst it isn’t perfect – it overstates the number of homes that come from different sources – if it collapses, the previous 8 years of PfE could be for nothing. It won’t help housing affordability and economic growth will be stifled.
MPs and councillors in Oldham and Bury are lobbying their councils to withdraw from Places for Everyone. If Places for Everyone does collapse, it would mean each individual borough would have to create its own local plan. Green belt activists who have been fighting the Spatial Framework and Places for Everyone project for years would likely be happy with that outcome. Advocates of the plan, however, say it’s crucial to Greater Manchester working together to get homes, offices, factories and public transport in the right places.
At ethical partnership, we understand how important it is to balance the needs of multiple stakeholders. However, if the proposed changes to the NPPF do go ahead, it will mean the undoing of years of planning development in Greater Manchester that could have serious repercussions on the region in terms of housing availability and affordability, but also economically. We have experience supporting a range of clients and communities through changes to planning legislation and the impact it can have on the development of their local areas. As chartered planners, we are experts in planning and deliver schemes for the betterment of local economic, social, and environmental outcomes.
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