Places for Everyone plan

Government inspectors have recommended the North of Irlam Train Station site be removed from the city-region’s spatial plan: Places for Everyone, the long-term plan for nine of the Greater Manchester districts for jobs, new homes and sustainable growth.

The final plan will direct the kind of development that takes place across nine of the Greater Manchester districts, maximising the use of brownfield land and urban spaces while better protecting Green Belt land. It will also ensure all new developments are connected to the public transport network and supported by infrastructure.

Following recent hearing sessions addressing peat, and input from Natural England, stakeholders and residents, the inspectors have recommended that the proposed plan which goes to the next stage of consultation should not include land North of Irlam Train Station. This is one of a number of sites being considered within the spatial plan containing degraded peatland.

Councillor McCusker, Lead Member for Planning, Transport and Sustainable Development said: “We note the findings and recommendations detailed within the inspectors note, which if approved by the nine Greater Manchester districts will form the basis of a forthcoming consultation on modifications to the spatial plan."

“However, the inspectors’ recommendations would result in the loss of a development that could have provided much needed truly affordable homes in Irlam and Cadishead to help us tackle the housing and homelessness crisis we’re facing in our city."

“This is especially important as we currently have 4,097 people on the housing waiting list and 584 households in temporary accommodation (185 requiring single accommodation and 399 families with 253 of those with two or more children).”

“We’re generally pleased that the inspectors’ recommendations support the plans for East of Boothstown and the Port Salford extension, which will provide family housing, contributions towards affordable housing and business growth. However, we’re disappointed with the recommendation to remove the sustainable North of Irlam Train Station site, particularly as Natural England substantially changed their position very late in the process.”

“We understand the importance of restored peat, but believe that the prospects for the restoration of this site is very low if government funding isn’t forthcoming. Our development plans could have generated much needed funding for the restoration in other parts of Chat Moss to protect it and get it to a state to act as a carbon sink and really become an ecological asset in the city."

“Chronic lack of resources for peatland restoration are particularly worrying given national government’s watered down commitments on climate change. We will now be making our own representations to Natural England on how they propose to speed up the restoration of Chat Moss and look forward to hearing from them more generally following their representations at recent spatial plan hearing sessions on peat to understand how they intend to work with the council and others in realising the restoration of Chat Moss and the bigger Greater Manchester Wetlands Vision."