Godley Green: delays over decision on Greater Manchester’s new garden village development

A decision on hugely contentious plans to build more than two thousand homes in the Hyde countryside has been delayed until 2023.

Proposals for the Godley Green garden village were due to go before councillors just days before Christmas, at a planning meeting scheduled for December 21. The planning application for up to 2,150 homes on land to the north of Mottram Old Road was submitted by Tameside council in October last year.

However the council has now confirmed that the planning committee will not be voting on the application – which has gathered more than 3,800 objections – until a date in the coming year. In a statement it said: “The local planning authority are unable to consider the application as planned due to statutory consultee National Highways extending their holding direction until February 8 2023 to allow them more time to review the impact of the development on the strategic road network including the recent government consent for the Mottram Bypass.

“This means that the panel are not able to determine a decision on the application until all the requested information has been reviewed and responded to in full meaning a rescheduling is necessary.

“The council will announce revised arrangements for considering and determining the application in due course.  ”

A target date had initially been set for a local decision for the summer of 2022 before going to government for the final say on whether to release the land from green belt.

A ‘refreshed’ environmental statement and revised application was submitted by the local authority last month which included a number of changes, including the swap from providing a new one-form primary school to new secondary school accommodation.

The proposed sports provision had also been modified, with the area of playing fields and facilities on land to the south of Mottram Old Road replaced with ‘financial contributions’ and the relocation of playing pitches from the eastern village to a more ‘central location’.

Under the revised plans, the access to the south of Mottram Old Road would be removed.

If outline permission is granted the planning team stated it would then seek approval for ‘reserved matters’ approval for the initial ‘Western Village’ access road and prepare the site for construction.

Phase one would see would see the delivery of ‘essential’ infrastructure begin, such as roads, drainage, flood basins, footpaths and cycleways and public open space.

Houses would begin to be built under this phase of the development, with the rest of the homes delivered in the next seven stages. The properties will be split across two villages divided by Godley Brook.

As well as the thousands of homes, ‘local centres’ would also be built as part of the garden village which would include up to 1,300 sq m of retail, 1,600 sq m of commercial uses and 1,000 sq m of local community uses.

If approved the huge development would generate £9m in income for the council, chiefs say. Homes England has supported the project with a £10m grant, which would have a minimum of 15% affordable housing provision.