Tameside moves to keep Godley Green on track 

The council has signed off £2.75m to progress plans for the 2,350-home garden village to keep to timescales set out in a funding agreement with Homes England. 

Tameside is in danger of losing out on funding for the scheme due to delays in the adoption of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, which allocates Godley Green for Green Belt release, according to the council.

In order to keep the project on track, the authority is pushing ahead with the intention of submitting a planning application by February 2021, despite the fact that the GMSF has not yet been signed off. 

A report to Tameside Council’s cabinet said: “Due to the uncertainty and consistent delays with the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework over the last two years, coupled with the [Homes England] funding requirements, the council is not in a position to delay and is preparing a hybrid planning application covering the whole site.” 

Last December, the council entered into a funding agreement with Homes England for £10m needed for infrastructure to open up the site for residential development. 

As a result of the agreement, the council is contractually obliged to meet certain milestones in the progression of the scheme in order to receive further funding and not have to repay the funding already received, according to Tameside. 

The authority has drawn down £720,000 from the Homes England funding to support the submission of a planning application. The total cost of this process is around £2,125,000, according to the council. 

A public consultation on the Godley Green scheme will be run alongside that of the GMSF in the new year before the council submits a planning application in February. 

If the planning submission is unsuccessful, the council would have to repay the £720,000 Homes England funding and would not receive the £10m agreed last year, putting the project in jeopardy, Tameside said. 

The Godley Green garden village will be near Hattersley, taking in Green Belt land to the north of Mottram Old Road. 

The whole 2,350-home scheme is due to complete in 2038. Of the nearly 2,500 homes to be delivered, 30% of these will be designated for affordable tenures. 

Tameside is negotiating with 18 different land owners to compile the 50 parcels of land needed for the development and also intends to exercise Compulsory Purchase Orders if no agreement at can be reached. 

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