Latest GMSF proposals announced on Monday 7 Jan

by Lib Dem team on 4 January, 2019

The latest version of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) is set to be announced on Monday 7 January 2019 by Mayor Andy Burnham and the leaders of the ten authorities – including Stockport.

The GMSF sets out where new homes and business premises will be built over the next 20 years, and the infrastructure to support them.

We expect the latest plans to see a reduction in building on the Green Belt compared to the much-criticised 2016 proposals, but all the indications are that there will still be some Green Belt release.

An 8-week consultation on the plans will start on 21 January.

   35 Comments

35 Responses

  1. Peter Loader says:

    Can you tell me about plans to reduce the green belt in Gatley by building houses on Gatley Golf Course.

  2. Dave says:

    I too am in need of info. re the proposed purchase of land from Gatley Gold Club by Peel Holdings. 200 new houses proposed in green belt land!!???

  3. John H says:

    Has anyone got any information or is this a rumour / false news

  4. Alan says:

    This is not a rumour. Gatley Golf Club are currently in negotiation for the sale of their land to developers who include Peel Holdings.

    • Iain Roberts says:

      Sounds like you know more about it than we do, Alan. The councillors have not had any communications about this from the golf club, developers, Peel Holdings or the council.

  5. Dave says:

    Presume that councilllors will support local residents in opposing sell off of a local amenity to protect the neighbourhood and to preserve wildlife.

  6. Terry says:

    My understanding of CASC status is that any sale of assets my not be distributed amongst members.
    They may only be re-invested in the Sports Club, transferred to the governing body (R&A) or transferred to another CACS

    So I don’t see what Gatley would have to gain by sale of whole club ?

  7. Anne says:

    I too am in need of clarification of this I live bordering the course and hAve a tree preservation order .I have been informed that members hope to receive a £100000 payoff if successful! Each!! They have to convert the club into a limited company in order to do this.it is in the hands of solicitors at the moment.Disgusting! Can anyone enlighten me further?

  8. Ruth says:

    Hi – I’m thinking of purchasing a property that overlooks Gatley Golf club – the views are lovely. If Peel or any other developers have bought the land and are planning on building houses – my retirement might turn out to be a nightmare of endless building!! Could anyone enlighten me if Peel have bought the land and what they are planning or where I can find out. thanks

  9. Jeremy Young says:

    Hello,

    Please can you provide an update on the latest news on Gatley Golf course?

    I heard that Peel Holdings have pulled out due to legal issues but that ‘brokers’ are still attempting to get round these and use the site for housing?

    Is that correct, do you have any more details?

    Gatley and Heald Green are already over developed. If this is allowed then Gatley and Heald Green would be virtually connected with back to back housing.

    Gatley doesn’t have the infrastructure to support many more houses. Congestion is bad now. If you want to see a Doc quickly you have to go to Stockport and not Gatley Medical Centre! I know Gatley Primary School want to extend and this has been rejected once already, but they still plan to go ahead and mentioned homes on the golf course when nothing has been agreed and it isn’t in their catchment area. Still, someone has to pay for the Executive Head’s salary!

    It should remain as a golf course, I’m happy to join and pay an annual membership and I expect many more people would too. Has this been explored?

    If we can’t make the business viable then another option would be to use the land for community use.

    What shouldn’t be allowed is for members to profit at our expense. Two reasons, firstly to sell out and take money that has not been earnt and secondly this would mean that even more houses would have to be built to make it attractive to a developer.

    I trust that the Council is working on our behalf so that we don’t lose this amenity, what is being done to oppose this development?

    Or is this is going to be looked at favourably (even though it will be detrimental to the area), as it will deliver new housing and help to meet Council targets as well as increase revenue from Council Tax?

    I would like to know where each of you stand on this, as it is an important issue and I have heard nothing about it from any of the Councillors.

    • Iain Roberts says:

      Hi Jeremy, we’ve heard nothing either. If there’s a planning application, we’ll be all over it but until then there probably won’t be any information. We’ll let people know when we hear something.

  10. Anne Foulkes says:

    Please could we have an update on this please!
    The road network would not support a housing estate not to mention the effect on wildlife house prices and the environment.

  11. Anne Foulkes says:

    Could we start a petition against this?

    • Iain Roberts says:

      Hi Anne, at the moment we don’t know if there is a proposal and, if so, what it might be. We’ll report back when there’s more information. When we know what the plans – if any – are, people can decide what they think about them.

  12. Jeremy says:

    Hi Iain and other Councillors,

    In my opinion that is too late, we should not waste any more time waiting.
    Councillors have heard about this from concerned locals in this post from Jan 2019, so probably earlier in 2018 it may be approaching 2 years and could be more!

    Are you saying that Stockport Council don’t have an idea of how many houses they would allow or if they would allow it?

    I expect that one issue stopping this going ahead is that the land is covenanted to protect members from selling it, amongst other restrictions. However, the Councillors should be in a better position to find this out on behalf of the Community.

    Yet the only response seems to be to tell us that we know more about it than you!
    What sort of representation is that?

    As Anne says we need to organise a petition or survey so that we can show the Council and others how strongly we feel about this.

    We could ask for the Golf course to be designated as Green belt to protect it for our children and future generations.

    Another option is to ask Gatley & Heald Green residents whether they would join the Golf club, either as a full member or a social member. USE it, LOSE it or SUPPORT it!

    I’d be happy to pay £500 or £600 pa if it kept the course for residents and protected it’s status. I imagine that if this was an option and others knew about this then the Golf club may become viable.

    If that isn’t possible it needs to be retained for the Community, so we are not making infrastructure problems even worse.

    Yet, even though it doesn’t seem to have been sold the Golf club will not accept new members. Likely due to vested interests between them and the developer.

    We should not allow a few people, especially Golf club members, to benefit financially at the expense of the wider community.

    In the days of covid-19 and future pandemics we need to retain our green spaces.

    Do you and other Councillors agree?

    Would councillors support a petition, or an
    action group, or offer other help?
    I ask as it seems that we are being fobbed off.

    Surely Councillors could advise, or if not at least provide a forum for a survey of residents views. It could be attached to your regular email and I could provide a 1 page survey if that would be helpful.

    Please feel free to contact me to discuss, or perhaps you could connect like minded residents?

    All concerned residents – Please stand up and be counted while there is still time.

    • Iain Roberts says:

      Hi Jeremy,

      The council has a legal obligation to consider planning applications on their merits. That’s the way the system works – someone submits a planning application and people then have time to put in their objections before a decision is made. It might be possible to add the land to the green belt, but not in the immediate future (it would be done through the GMSF or a Local Plan).

      If people want to join the club, and are allowed to join, then that’s fine – it’s a private club.

      As local councillors we’ve campaigned long and hard to put extra protections on public open spaces like Gatley Carrs and we’ll continue to do so. If and when proposals for Gatley Golf Club come forward, we will make sure everyone knows about it and has a chance to have their say.

  13. Liam says:

    I agree Jeremy – we need to make sure there is an organised opposition to this development ASAP to maintain green space and protect wildlife habitats, flora and fauna.

    I would be happy to assist you in setting this up and getting local opposition to the development early so that we are prepared if / when the planning permission application is submitted.

    Iain – it would be good to know that we have the Council’s support.

    Jeremy – how best could we connect to look to start setting this up?

  14. Ajay says:

    It is rather very worrying there are plans (albeit unconfirmed) to develop yet another piece of green space. This is especially relevant in the current context of climate change and global warming. I concur with Liam and would support a motion to oppose development on the Golf course. Green open space is vital for people’s health and wellbeing, whilst preserving local wildlife and plants/trees. Jeremy’s idea of us paying an annual fee to retain the space and avoid development is seconded. Surely, if viability is the issue, promoting membership would be the way forward. I feel, it would be a travesty to lose this gem of a lung space for the local community and indeed the wider locality.

  15. Anne foulkes says:

    Just heard today from grounds man that a deal is being signed today for gatley golf club to be sold to a holding company HSL? They will then negotiate for planning permission and then sell on to a developer ! Please get on to this ASAP it is wrong on so many levels .

  16. Anne says:

    The company is Hollins Strategic Land please email them expressing your objections . If we all do this we can apply some pressure ?

    • Ken Swain says:

      Anne – do you have any further information at all ?

      Has anyone spoken to the staff at the Golf Club for verification ?

      Just asking as we overlook the golf club grounds.

      FYI – seen what look like surveyors at work just now.

  17. Mr L Ranger says:

    Spoke to the guys who are doing the surveying this afternoon on the course and they have told me that it was for the new housing estate !

  18. Roz says:

    I spoke to two surveyors yesterday afternoon who were on the Golf course with their theodolite!
    They claimed not to know if it had been sold, they had just been ask to come and survey it, but someone is paying for their time!!…

  19. Brian says:

    The same surveyors (who were on the golf course a couple of weeks ago) were doing some more scoping work at the entrance to the golf club this morning. I asked what it was for and they confirmed it is in preparation for a potential housing scheme. There seems to be an inevitability about this, unless the local residents / community and councillors put up a fight. It’s a beautiful green space which will be lost FOREVER and there are precious few left. Why couldn’t it be turned into a community resource, it could be self funding if it became a local tourist attraction; yes that would mean some extra local traffic, but less than if it was turned into a housing estate and the green space will have been preserved. Could the councillors look into this?

  20. Brian says:

    Further to my earlier message, here is a link to a similar proposal for Horwich Golf Club where the council have unanimously agreed to nominate the Horwich Golf Club site as an Asset of Community Value (ACV); with one councillor commenting: “My belief is that as a councillor, and particularly a town councillor, it’s our job to reflect the views of the local community.”

    https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/18652928.horwich-golf-club-get-new-protection-development/

  21. Shirley says:

    It goes without saying that destroying this beautiful landscape is just heartbreaking. So the other practical concerns are traffic load as mentioned previously by others. This area of land is bordered by Styal Road which is a narrow two lane winding road, Finney Lane which already has several sets of traffic lights, Gatley Village which is always congested, and Troutbeck Road which is congested twice daily because of Lum Primary school. I can imagine what a large housing estate will add to these roads and would also object of given the opportunity.

  22. Sean says:

    I also met and spoke to the chaps doing the survey of the golf course. (In September I believe)
    Yes the land is being measured to the millimeter, which leads to obvious conclusions.
    I have lived in this area for 30 years and seen Styal Road go from a quiet country road to a rather busy through route.
    Walking is not an enjoyable option down this road anymore, in fact it’s hazardous! The path seems narrow when there is a 20 tonne truck whizzing past you at close range.
    It’s a shame to think that the area will become even more congested and we will lose the green space that offers sanctuary and a bit of peace.
    However it’s not surprising, the divvying up of the land has been going on in earnest since the 1890s and really ramped up in 1925 by John Tulloch.
    Could we buy the plot as a community and turn it into a park in order to preserve the green space?

  23. Liam Perry says:

    Hi Shirley

    We can be almost certain that a planning application will be coming in 2021 – you will of course get the chance to object when it comes forward.

    It would be a marvellous for the community, local wildlife, and the environment if the space could be saved – what an asset it could be.

    We have started getting together a group of like-minded individuals and will tamp this up in the New Year to discuss our approach as opposition to any proposed development – I believe we have a strong case.

  24. Eric says:

    I wrote our MP Mary Robinson back in January 19 about this (below) and received a sympathetic but non-committal reply. Perhaps others might now also try to enlist her support?

    Hello Mary
    I see from your profile that you are a strong believer in the need to protect our green spaces and have campaigned on this conviction. I wonder if you are aware that Gatley Golf Club are on the verge of selling their land to a property developer? This would allow the construction of another large housing development on one of the last remaining green spaces in our area. If this were to happen we would lose another opportunity to retain a beautiful and beneficial asset to the community. If this area could somehow be acquired for the community it could provide a wonderful recreational green corridor running from Heald Green to Gatley. I am surprised that such a development with all its attendant access and congestion problems would be contemplated by Stockport Planning but this does not appear to be the case. Perhaps if you feel strongly about this you might be prepared to see what can be done to prevent this from happening?
    Kind Regards

  25. Not sure if this line of communication is still open and current but this planning proposal is at consultation period. I really believe that a residents petition against is required and pressure applied to local council and councillors.

    • Iain Roberts says:

      Hi David – as with all planning applications, councils and councillors have a legal duty to consider them fairly. Try to avoid that and it just gets approved at appeal. It’s very early days with Gatley Golf Course – we think we’re a year away from a planning application coming forward. The important thing right now is for everyone to have their say on this initial consultation by the developer.

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