Agenda item

Agenda item

Consultation on the draft Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) and Manchester Local Plan Review - Update

Report of the Strategic Director (Development)

 

Greater Manchester local authorities are currently working collaboratively on the preparation of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF).  This document will provide a policy framework to guide development across the City Region up to 2037.  It will also provide a context for the preparation by individual authorities of updated Local Plans.  In 2016, GM consulted on the first draft of the GMSF document. Following this consultation, and taking account of responses received, consultation on a second draft GMSF began on 21 January 2019. This consultation will be open for eight weeks, until 18 March 2019.

 

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report of the Strategic Director (Development), which provided an update on the progress that had been made with the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) Consultation and how this Framework would provide a context for the preparation by individual authorities of updated Local Plans.

 

The Head of City Policy referred to the main points and themes within the report which included:-

 

·                The GMSF was currently being prepared as a document jointly ‘owned’ by the ten Greater Manchester districts;

·                The intention was that in the future the GMSF would become the GM Mayor’s Plan, called a Spatial Development Strategy (SDS);

·                The Spatial Development Strategy would still need support from the leaders of all ten districts and the GM Mayor;

·                Each Council Leader had indicated that they would seek the support of their council before giving their endorsement to the GMSF;

·                Details of the 2019 Draft Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, which included:-

·                     Overall Development Targets;

·                     Key Policy Proposals; and

·                     Development Proposals for Manchester

·                The relationship between the GMSF and Manchester’s Local Plan; and

·                A timetable of next steps to be taken.

 

Some of the key points that arose from the Committees discussions were:-

 

·                Was the Council convinced that the city’s housing needs would be met within the housing targets;

·                What would happen if unanimity across the 10 GM Councils was not achieved;

·                What was the current status of the Council’s housing vision;

·                Were council houses or social housing included within the GMSF housing targets;

·                Assurance was sought that the creation and implementation of a GMSF was not the start of centralisation of planning call to a GM regional level; and

·                How was the different type of housing demands taken into consideration as part of the GMSF.

 

The Leader advised that the GMSF would set out the vision for housing across Greater Manchester but would not be a formal planning document and as such, would not permit the GMCA to dictate what the Council could agree to build.  He added that the next draft of the GMSF was due in Summer 2019, which would allow for each local authority to comment on the current proposals or make suggested amendments.  If the 10 Greater Manchester Councils did not unanimously support the final proposals a fall back option would be to establish a joint development plan which would be created between two or more local authorities.

 

The Committee was assured that the creation and implementation of the GMSF would not provide any facility for Greater Manchester to take over development control arrangements that currently rested within each local authority

 

The Leader advised that the total housing figure within the GMSF was an aggregated figure for all 10 GM local authorities, based on an assessment of need and the subsequent land allocation had been identified taking the level of need for each local authority into account. He added that the amount of housing need for Manchester had not altered from the first incarnation of the GMSF in comparison to other GM local authorities.

 

Decision

 

The Committee notes the report.

 

Supporting documents: