Pennycook tells Stockport to get a move on with local plan
The council has been called out by the housing minister for a lack of progress on updating the borough’s spatial strategy.
Using his intervention powers, Matthew Pennycook has ordered Stockport Council to complete initial consultation on an updated local plan by Christmas Eve and submit it to the government for examination no later than 30 November 2026.
These dates, set out in a letter sent to the local authority’s Leader Cllr Mark Roberts, align with the council’s most recent local plan timeline, as reported by Place North West in July.
The letter admonished Stockport for a lack of progress on its local plan since a Lid Dem and Conservative rebellion forced the Labour-run council of 2020 to withdraw from the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework – the joint planning strategy for the city region – amid concerns about Green Belt release.
“Since 2020, the council has not progressed to a formal consultation on a new plan,” Pennycook wrote. “In the same period, the rest of Greater Manchester has adopted a joint local plan which sets out strategic policies, giving those councils the ability to plan effectively for their areas.”
Stockport Council only restarted its local plan process last year after pausing the update as a result of national uncertainty about policy direction.
A council spokesperson said: “It is not the case that Stockport has failed to make progress on its local plan. We remain fully committed to progressing a new plan for the borough. A draft was ready for consultation in spring 2024, but national events outside our control meant this could not proceed. Work is now well underway to deliver the revised timetable we set out in July 2025 at the meeting of our development plan working party.
“Stockport was ready to proceed to consultation on a regulation 18 draft local plan in Spring 2024, this could not proceed because of the General Election taking place in July 2024. We were ready to consult once more after the general election, but the National Planning Policy Framework was called in again, as had happened in the previous year, for review.”
The spokesperson added: “The revised National Planning Policy Framework was then published on 12 December 2024. We moved quickly to assess what changes were needed to the Regulation 18 draft to ensure compliance. Planning Practice Guidance on undertaking Green Belt assessments was published on 27 February 2025, at which point work on the Green Belt Assessment commenced.
“The delay in publication of this guidance, and the consequential impact on the Green Belt Assessment, meant we were not in a position to consult on the Regulation 18 draft in line with the LDS at that stage. The Development Plan Working Party was updated in July with a revised timetable to reflect this.”
While by no means a tongue lashing, Pennycook’s letter adds that Stockport’s sluggishness with regards to a new local plan is undermining the government’s housing mission.
“This government was elected on a manifesto that included a clear commitment to build 1.5m new homes in this Parliament, and all areas are required to play their part,” the letter states.
“In order to deliver the homes and growth the country needs, we expect all local planning authorities to make every effort to get up-to-date local plans in place as soon as possible.”
Pennycook added that not having an up to “piecemeal and speculative development”.
This has come to pass in some areas of Stockport, which have seen a wave of housing applications on the borough’s Green Belt from developers seeking to take advantage of the vacuum created by an out-of-date local plan and the council’s inability to prove a five-year housing supply.
About time too…….
By Mr Mirrlees
The council needs to move quickly but must not
Fail to recognise the value and importance of true Greenbelt -once it’s gone -it’s gone !!!
By Anonymous
The council’s local plan working committee agreed a timetable back in July which aligns with what the minister is telling them they have to do. The report that members approved set out that it would be necessary to formally agree the timetable in an update of the local development scheme which the minister has now told them to update but that it was advised to hold off doing that until closer to when the consultation was to take place because that way they might be able to also include the timetable for the proposed Greater Manchester Minerals and Waste plan (potentially saving the need to update the local development scheme twice). This information is all readily available on the council’s website with details of the meeting from 8th July. All that the minister’s letter does is tell them to get on with preparing the plan on the timetable that they’ve already said, in public, that they’re going to be preparing the plan, and to update their local development scheme in the timeframe that they’ve already said they’re going to update it. I’m not sure what the story is.
By Anonymous
Hi anonymous. Your point about the timeline set out by Pennycook and that set out by the council aligning is mentioned in the article. The interesting things is that, in spite of this, Pennycook deemed it necessary to still send the letter and call the council out publicly on social media. Best wishes, Dan.
By Dan Whelan
The Council came out of Places for Everyone so the Liberal leadership could sit on their hands and wait for a Conservative Government to save them from having to build anything on the green belt. No excuses for not having a new Local Plan in place now – such bad political judgement. One that now bites them hard.
By Anonymous
Is the Government intervening and producing a Local Plan themselves not the preferred outcome for Councillors in Stockport?
By UnaPlanner
Hi UnaPlanner, no. At this stage the government is simply telling the council to meet specific deadlines. Best wishes, Dan
By Dan Whelan
Dan, I was just jumping forward to the potential endgame if S27 Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 was invoked.
By UnaPlanner
There needs to be an intervention soon, the idea Stockport can meet its targets by building loads of flats in the town centre is silly.
By Anonymous
Sorry its Cheshire isn’t it..let’s ask the appropriate authorities….every one says it is.. 😉 😜
By Anonymous
Stockport Council has prevaricated so much, it is absolutely right for the Government to tell SMBC they need to stick to their timetable – and not be tempted to delay even further. The current Council leadership has failed Stockport. Not only have we failed to build houses that are needed for people to live in, we also have unplanned, speculative development in the Green Belt – pure planning by appeal, the very thing they claimed they wanted to avoid, but made inevitable by their actions. The ruling party in Stockport should hang their heads in shame.
By Peter Black
It seems to me that they are on track to deliver their plan. The problem of all these plans is the complete lack of houses for people who cannot get on the housing ladder as property prices are so high. If the Labour government want to solve the housing crisis this needs to be addressed. Guaranteed that any houses built in green belt will not be affordable. House builders already trying to weasel out of building them. Check Stockport’s planning applications for this.
By Stockport resident