Places for Everyone - Main modification consultation phase

What is this plan and why do we need it? 

Greater Manchester Combined Authority has put together Places for Everyone on behalf of nine Greater Manchester councils (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Tameside, Trafford, Salford, Wigan).

It will determine the kind of development that takes place across the nine Districts maximising the use of brownfield land and urban spaces while protecting Green Belt land from the risk of unplanned development.

It will also ensure all new developments are sustainably integrated into Greater Manchester’s transport network or supported by new infrastructure.

• 2016: Public consultation on the ‘Greater Manchester Spatial Framework’ – a plan of ten Districts. 27,000 responses from across the city-region
• 2017: First Greater Manchester Mayor elected which led to changes to the plan
• 2019: Public consultation, in line with reg 18 of the National Planning Policy Framework. 17,000 responses from across the city-region
• 2020: Stockport didn’t approve the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework for consultation in 2020 which signalled the end of a plan of the ten Districts. The plan for the remaining nine Districts in Greater Manchester was re-named ‘Places for Everyone’
• 2021: Public consultation on the PfE ‘publication plan’ which focussed specifically on whether or not the plan meets the test of soundness, is legally compliant and effective.  
• February 2022: ‘Places for Everyone’ was submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination by the Planning Inspectorate and the Examination in Public was launched.
• November 2022: Hearings in public were launched as part of the Examination in Public stage of the plan was launched meaning that previous respondents and interested parties were invited to participate in live events to explain their submission.
• July 2023: The last hearing in public was held (for now)     
• August 2023: Inspectors issued their notes to say that they are satisfied at this stage of the examination, that all proposed Modifications are necessary to make the plan sound and/or legally compliant.  

Since its submission the appointed Inspectors have been examining the submitted Plan to determine whether it meets the tests of soundness defined in national planning policy and meets all the relevant legislative requirements.

As part of the examination the Inspectors have raised questions, matters and issues that were prompted by their review of the Plan and which probed issues of soundness and specific issues raised during the consultation on the Publication Plan 2021.

Following this process, the Planning Inspectors have identified a number of ‘Main Modifications’ which is the basis of this consultation, again following the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) guidance around soundness, and legal compliance.

There are also some proposals to change some of the policies maps, which are consequential to the Main Modifications. Where this is the case, they will be noted through this response form.

We will also be consulting on the ‘Additional Modifications’.

Whilst there are many proposed main modifications, including amending the plan period from 2020 to 2037 to 2022 to 2039, they do not change the overall Vision, Objectives and Spatial Strategy of the plan; with our ambitions for the future, largely remaining following on from this independent and rigorous process.