Oldham approves draft local plan
To be read in conjunction with Greater Manchester’s Places for Everyone, the strategic planning document will guide development up to 2039 in the borough.
Oldham Council’s cabinet approved the local plan draft on Monday, as well as a subsequent consultation on the framework. This public consultation will start on 10 January at the earliest and should last for six weeks, according to a council report.
The draft local plan was built using feedback the council received during a consultation in the summer of 2021. It also is designed to fit into the requirements for the borough outlined in Greater Manchester’s Places for Everyone, the strategic framework for development in nine of the ten GM local authorities.
The draft Oldham Local Plan includes provision for the delivery of 11,560 homes by 2039, which amounts to 680 homes a year. It also allocates areas for 1.3m sq ft of office floorspace and 4.4m sq ft of industrial and warehousing.
The framework leans into Oldham’s ambitions to be greener as well. It paints a picture of a more sustainable borough by 2039, stating that by that time “Oldham will be a carbon neutral exemplar with a resilient and multifunctional green infrastructure network which brings multiple benefits to the natural and built environment as well as to the health of its residents and visitors”.
If the draft Oldham Local Plan sails through consultations and becomes the official local plan for the borough, it will replace the previous local plan – which was adopted in 2011. It will then sit under Places for Everyone, which is set to be adopted in 2024.
