Grey Is the New Green: How Stockport’s Local Plan is set to redefine the Green Belt

Stockport Council's draft Local Plan goes into consultation today (6 November) and it means big changes for builders across the borough. The draft plan allocates sites for 31,790 new homes by 2042 delivered through a combination of brownfield regeneration in the town centre, and landing more controversially on 26 Green Belt sites located in the suburbs, including more than 1,000 at each of High Lane, Heald Green, and Hazel Grove.

The borough's current adopted local plan dates from 2011. Withdrawal from the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) in 2020 left Stockport as the only GM authority absent in the subsequent Places for Everyone (PfE) joint plan. After years of delay getting their own document in place, Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook issued an intervention notice this year setting out statutory deadlines for consultation and outlined the risk of central government intervention if the Council didn't meet its milestones.

The new draft local plan, which today begins a seven-week consultation period, reflects a changed national policy environment since Labour took power last year. Stockport now finds itself required to build 1,906 homes a year, an increase of nearly 75% on the old target of 1,097.

Stockport's new spatial strategy prioritises brownfield development within Stockport town centre, where approximately 8,000 homes are planned through an expanded Mayoral Development Corporation boundary. This includes the already approved Stockport 8 regeneration scheme.

But the Council is unable to meet its housing targets through brownfield alone, with capacity for only around half of Stockport's total housing need. This has necessitated the release of 26 Green Belt sites identified as "grey belt" defined by methodology set out by the Government in last year's National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). This will see some land that has not been developed previously (“greenfield”) or parts of previously developed or poorer-quality Green Belt or “grey belt” land released for housebuilding.

The draft plan has ignited debate amongst local politicians and residents. Council Leader Mark Roberts said that the Liberal Democrat-run administration is proceeding "with a very heavy heart" and feels "powerless to stop" elements of national government policy which it has blamed for the release of Green Belt sites. Local Labour opposition members have squarely put the blame on the Lib Dems for their decision to withdraw from the GMSF. Under the subsequent Places for Everyone framework, Stockport might have benefited from a redistribution of housing allocations across Greater Manchester, whereas the standalone approach now requires the borough to meet its full target independently.

So, what happens next? The consultation is now running until the 21 December and will be followed by a review and analysis of all feedback in the Spring. The Council must publish a submission version by September next year which must be sent to the Planning Inspectorate by November, with an Examination in Public anticipated in the first half of 2027. This is a shorter timeline than is usual for a local plan consultation – the reduction reflects the urgency imposed on the Council by the government's intervention.

For developers and landowners, the plan opens up significant opportunities. The 50% affordable housing requirement on Green Belt sites will need careful viability work though, and with Stockport only identifying half its required capacity, there may be scope for additional sites through the examination process. If the current draft Plan were adopted, more than 40% of the borough would remain designated Green Belt. 

Despite the draft policy framework, developers and builders will continue to have a job to get local communities on board facing housebuilding at this scale. The consultation will no doubt give an insight into how national planning policy is colliding with local sentiment. However, with a clear strategy around communication and a narrative rich with the potential for economic and local benefits to support infrastructure development and growth, there is an opportunity to balance out the needs of the local community and bring about sustainable future growth.

Font Comms are on hand to help support your comms strategy, please reach out to us if you’d like to speak on a scheme in Stockport at hello@fontcomms.com