Today I have written to the Secretary of State Michael Gove and to the Leader of Bury Council Eamonn O'Brien regarding the Places for Everyone plan. You can see both letters below.
Letter to Secretary of State Michael Gove
Dear Michael
I am writing further to your Statement regarding an update of the Levelling Up Bill made in the House of Commons on the 6th December.
The Statement outlined further changes the Government would be making to the planning system, to place local communities at the heart of the planning system.
You confirmed that a method would be retained for calculating local housing need figures and stated:
“I do believe that the plan-making process for housing has to start with a number.
This number, however, should be an advisory starting point, a guide that is not mandatory.
It will be up to local authorities, working with their communities, to determine how many homes can actually be built, taking into account what should be protected in each area, be that our precious Green Belt or national parks.’
This approach is to be warmly welcomed but as you outlined in your statement, creates an issue for those with local plans that are already at an advanced stage of preparation. You quite rightly stated that those local authorities in this situation,
“will not benefit from these changes so I will put in place transitional arrangements. Where authorities are well-advanced in producing a new plan, but the constraints I have put in place need to be reassessed.
I will give those places a two year period to revise their plan against the changes we propose and get it adopted.”
The above situation applies to my local authority in Bury, who are part of the housing strategic masterplan for Greater Manchester, “Places for Everyone.”
It should be noted that Bury Council does not yet have its own approved local plan. Places for Everyone is currently being assessed by the Planning Inspectorate with hearings set to run into next year.
In light of the above, I would be grateful if you could confirm the following.
- Bury Council has been informed of the new Government guidance on calculating local housing need figures?
- The new guidance would clearly require Bury Council to withdraw from “Places for Everyone” and the current hearings before the Inspector and a new local plan should be created and approved over a 2 year period?
- As Bury Council have yet to produce and adopt a local plan, this document must be produced subject to the new Government guidance and must not be contradictory to Places for Everyone or other Greater Manchester strategic masterplan for housing need?
- What process should Bury Council follow, in line with new national guidance to withdraw from Places for Everyone and the hearings before the Planning Inspector and would you advise that this be done immediately taking into account the 2 year extension period? Further, what date will the 2 year period run from?
As outlined above, I am grateful for the clear requirements you have set out for local authorities to calculate housing need and particularly welcome the elements of community control and reiteration of the brownfield first policy.
I look forward to hearing from you at the earliest opportunity.
Yours,
James Daly MP
Letter to Leader of Bury Council Eamonn O'Brien
Dear Eamonn,
I write further to the Statement of the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities given to the House of Commons on the 6th December.
The Statement concerned an update on the Levelling Up Bill, regarding new guidance for calculating local housing need figures.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Secretary of State confirmed, “I do believe that the plan-making process for housing has to start with a number. This number should, however, be an advisory starting point, a guide that is not mandatory. It will be up to local authorities, working with their communities, to determine how many homes can actually be built, taking into account what should be protected in each area- be that our precious Green Belt or national parks…”
The Secretary of State further outlined how those with local plans at an advanced stage of preparation who will not benefit from these provisions can take advantage of transitional arrangements to produce plans that are compliant with the new guidance.
“Where authorities are well-advanced in producing a new plan, but the constraints which I have outlined mean that the amount of land to be released needs to be reassessed, I will give those places a two year period to revise their plan against the changes we propose and get it adopted.”
The position could not be clearer.
Although we are part of Places for Everyone long-term developmental plan for nine of the Boroughs within Greater Manchester, Bury Council has no adopted local plan. The housing need calculation made within Places for Everyone is now obsolete and not in line with national guidance.
It is quite clear that Bury’s local plan must be produced in line with the new national guidance I have outlined which would put it completely at odds with Places for Everyone.
In Prime Minister’s Questions this week, Keir Starmer confirmed his support for mandatory housing targets but Bury must follow national planning guidance as it is now rather than what it may be in the future.
Would you therefore confirm that Bury Council will not only be withdrawing from the Places for Everyone plan at the earliest opportunity but from the current hearings before the Inspector? In these circumstances, further costs to the taxpayer related to the hearings would be unjustifiable.
The new guidance requires a joint approach to calculating housing need through community consultation and a reinforced brownfield first policy and will ensure that the Borough’s precious Green Belt can be protected.
Amongst other areas, the new national guidance provides Bury Council with the opportunity to remove the Walshaw and Elton Reservoir sites from any future local plan and I urge you to take this opportunity.
I look forward to hearing from you at the earliest opportunity.
Yours,
James Daly MP
