Green belt take ‘a betrayal of future generations’ – campaigner

Campaigners have launched a legal challenge to prevent vast areas of green belt land in Greater Manchester being swallowed up for development.

One of the leaders of the Save Greater Manchester Greenbelt group (SGMG) has described the ‘take’ of 34 areas of green belt in the Places for Everyone (PfE) strategic plan, which outlines planning objectives for the next 17 years, as a ‘betrayal of future generations’.

SGMG has engaged barristers from law firm Leigh Day and submitted a request for a judicial review of the PfE, now ratified by nine participating Greater Manchester boroughs with only Stockport opting out.

Legal papers were sent to the nine authorities, Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority on April 30.

ice-chair of SGMG, Marj Powner, said a response to the claim was expected from the authorities by May 24.

She said: “Even without releasing any green belt sites, there is sufficient brownfield land supply to create two new boroughs. Given that level of growth, we don’t believe that it’s necessary and it’s a betrayal of future generations.”

Ms Powner acknowledged that the amount of green belt set to be taken under PfE had been reduced by 50 per cent during the long drawn out consultations over the plan, but said in fact it should be ‘zero’.

She continued: “If you’ve got 170,000 homes on brownfield (the PfE target), that’s the equivalent of an increased population of more than 400,000 people.

“If we’re going to increase the population of Greater  Manchester by 400,000 – the equivalent of creating two new boroughs – why do we also need to release green belt land that is so important to mitigating the climate emergency and to supporting nature’s recovery? We don’t need to do that. It’s not a matter of need that we are releasing green belt.”

Ms Powner said that nowhere in the PfE plan was land set aside in Greater Manchester for a new hospital to meet the needs of the additional 400,000 people.

Meanwhile, campaigners are appealing for people to contribute to the costs of the legal challenge, which are estimated to be around £100,000.

“Our initial objective is to raised £30,000 and continue to raise cash as the case continues.”

Ms Powner is also the chair of the Friends of Carrington Moss and a staunch opponent of Trafford council’s bid build the £78m Carrington Relief Road.

She added: “In Carrington, it’s peat moss, it’s grade two agricultural land, it’s woodland and it’s wetland habitats and these are all sites that are essential to climate mitigation and nature’s recovery.”

A GMCA spokesperson said: “The GMCA confirms that a legal challenge to the decision of Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Salford, Rochdale, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan Councils to adopt the Places for Everyone Joint Development Plan document following recommendations by the Secretary of State for Levelling up, Housing and Communities has been received. The Authorities will continue to work collectively to respond to the challenge.”