Salford splits Local Plan in two after GMSF delay

Salford’s wide-ranging Local Plan, which includes 6m sq ft of industrial and 4.3m sq ft of offices alongside 32,680 homes, will be produced in two parts following delays to the wider Greater Manchester Spatial Framework.

The first part of the Local Plan, setting out how Salford City Council’s policies will complement the GMSF, and how the Local Authority will approve or reject planning applications, is likely to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration in May 2020, following a further round of consultation in January next year.

However, work on other parts of the plan, dealing with allocating land for development, will not get under way until 2021, given the delays to the GMSF.

The GMSF will set Salford’s housing targets as well as allocating land for Green Belt release, but the next round of consultation on the 201,000-home framework was pushed back until next summer to allow for further engagement with local communities.

Salford’s Local Plan, which runs to 2037, has already been published in draft form. Within this, the council’s objectives include supporting the delivery of 4.3m sq ft of offices, 6m sq ft of industrial space and a net increase of 32,680 homes, 80% of them on previously developed land.

Cllr Derek Antrobus, lead member for planning and sustainable development at Salford City Council, said: “Some parts of our plan can go ahead only when the GMSF is in place. But other policies which will ensure the people of Salford get a fairer deal from developers can’t wait for the GMSF. So we have come up with a proposal which we think meets the legal requirements and strengthens our policies until GMSF completes the job.

“We will publish the first part of our Local Plan which will set out policies on managing development and also designating areas of the city for uses such as recreation. This will take into account all the feedback we have received to date, with final public consultation in January 2020. The intention is then for the plan to be submitted to the government in May 2020 for independent consideration.  Following this, the council expects to adopt the plan in May 2021.

“It is a lengthy process but this plan covers the next 20 years of Salford’s development so we have to take time to get that right. A second part of the Local Plan will allocate land and buildings for development but work on this will not start until mid 2021.

“This is because the GMSF will decide on the scale of growth and green belt boundaries and set targets for providing new housing in Salford so we cannot make substantial progress on this part of the Local Plan until the GMSF is adopted.”