High Court agrees to hear legal challenge to Manchester development plan spanning nine councils
The High Court is set to hear a statutory review challenge against a development plan agreed upon by nine Greater Manchester authorities.
Local campaign group, 'Save Greater Manchester's Green Belt', claims that changes to green belt additions in the plan were introduced in an examination hearing with no previous notification.
The 'Places for Everyone' plan sets out how the nine boroughs should develop up until 2039, including housing, offices, and infrastructure.
The plan allocates sites for employment and housing outside of the existing urban area and includes a new Green Belt boundary for Greater Manchester.
The plan has the backing of Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.
Save Greater Manchester's Green Belt said it has been granted permission for a substantive hearing on one ground concerning the plan's green belt provisions.
The High Court denied permission for four other grounds brought by the group.
The permitted ground alleges procedural unfairness in the way that green belt additions were reduced from 49 sites to 19 in the plan.
A spokesperson for the group said: "This change was introduced in an Examination Hearing with no previous notification."
The group is currently considering whether to appeal the refusal of the four other grounds.
A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) said: "The GMCA and the nine Places for Everyone authorities will continue to defend this statutory review. We await a date from the court for the forthcoming hearing.
"Places for Everyone is our plan to deliver the new homes that our communities need, maximising the use of brownfield land while protecting and enhancing green spaces, and is the best line of defence against costly unplanned development.
"Unless the High Court decides otherwise, all policies within Places for Everyone, including those relating to Green Belt additions, remain valid and will continue to be used to determine planning applications in the nine districts."
Adam Carey
