GMSF delayed over Bredbury Park dispute
The long-awaited Greater Manchester Spatial Framework has been delayed further due to a row between Stockport and Tameside over the proposed expansion of the industrial estate, which lies on the border of the two boroughs.
The latest draft of the GMSF, the document that allocates land for housing and employment across the 10 Greater Manchester authorities, was due to be published for consultation on Monday but is now not expected tobe published until November at the earliest, due to a disagreement between the two councils.
The site in question, which spans 76 acres between the industrial park and the River Tame, has long been earmarked for redevelopment and was included in the 2016 GMSF draft.
Developer Quorum is behind an £80m plan called Bredbury Gateway to build 25 units, ranging in size from 10,000 sq ft to 500,000 sq ft, at the park, increasing its footprint by 1.2m sq ft.
However, Tameside Council has raised concerns over the large scale of the Bredbury Gateway scheme, designed by AEW Architects, and the environmental impact it claims it would have on the Tame Valley.
In an attempt to placate Tameside, it is understood that Stockport Council has tabled scaled back proposals for the site that are now being worked into the GMSF, causing the delays.
A Tameside Council spokesperson said: “The planning impact of Bredbury Park Industrial Estate has been a longstanding issue that both councils have been working hard to resolve.
“We are all keen to get the GMSF in place for the benefit of the whole of Greater Manchester in order to achieve the twin aims of protecting the Green Belt while creating economic growth.” Stockport Council has also been contacted for comment.
A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority said: “Our plan for homes, jobs and the environment, the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, is currently being finalised and will be published once necessary final changes have been made.”
The GMSF’s publication has already been delayed from earlier this year due to Covid-related and other challenges.
One of my main objections is that there is a low bridge which prevents Lorries and heavy vehicles from exiting the motorway at Bredbury and so they come off at Denton Island and drive through Denton and down Stockport road (Tameside) to get to the estate.
By Jade Taylor
It’s more like the greater manchester UNSTABLE framework!
By rochdale ryan
October 07, 2020 at 12:51 pm By Jade Taylor
At the last consultation I was told the developers would have to sort out the low bridge or accept a height limit on vehicles going onto their site
By Gethin
BROWN SITES SHOULD ALWAYS BE USED before even thinking of causing all the upset for so many people & the loss of wild life & nature apart from the utter stupidity of proposing that the many heavy goods vehicles all will have to go over an l old bridge originally made for horse & carts. Do planners ever visit the areas that they allow planning to go ahead. An utterly rediculus proposal.
By J. Chapman
The timescale of the GMSF is the thing that truly threatens the Greenbelt. The plan could be accomplished with a ten year timescale with zero loss of Greenbelt. Unfortunately the money men won’t get their pound of green flesh.
By Randy Burnham
The place is already gridlocked come rush hour. Add in a few more hundred workers and you might as well pack a bag and kip in the office.
They need to sort out that awful roundabout first before doing anything else as that’s the main cause.
By Onkon
It’s not clear from your article but this Bredbury proposal lies entirely within Stockport, and not in Tameside at all; ‘…which lies on the border of the two boroughs’ is actually misleading.
Any traffic, access, congestion or environmental concerns being raised by Tameside have presumably been considered by Stockport as well.
I wonder what were the views of Stockport Council if it is such an issue with the neighbours (rightly in some cases), or have known potential objections simply been dismissed when putting forward the expansion plans at Bredbury.
In defence of the Council, looking at the wider borough of Stockport, if there has to be any developments of this nature, Bredbury is actually one of the better – and very few – options as a large number of the other district centres are simply no go for one reason or another.
By AltPoV
This diabolical expansion will totally destroy the habitat of the wildlife on this Green belt land. There is a brown unused site across the road nearer the motorway which should be used as to use the current preference will increase the pollution from more heavy lorries into Tameside along Stockport road which in turn damage the health of many children (schools in the area) and elderly vulnerable people who live in the area. Burnham has totally ignored this as it is obvious money is uppermost in his mind. We as residents of the area will fight this unacceptable plan vehemently along with our MPs.
This must not happen.
By DelG