NPPF will help address Stockport’s housing crisis and address Lib Dems’ shameless planning behaviour
The updated National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) will be a crucial step toward tackling Stockport’s housing challenges. With its focus on sustainable development and brownfield prioritisation, the NPPF offers the tools needed to deliver much-needed housing while protecting the Green Belt and revitalising our urban areas.
Stockport faces a worsening housing crisis, with around 8,000 applications on the waiting list – many of these families – and skyrocketing costs for temporary accommodation, forcing some households to be relocated outside the borough and even outside of Greater Manchester.
Without an up-to-date local plan, Stockport relies on an outdated 2011 Core Strategy, leading to inconsistent planning decisions and hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money squandered on defending avoidable planning appeals.
In addition, without a local plan, Stockport could also now see a huge increase in speculative planning applications.
In an article for Place North West, Placefirst Head of Planning Alun Davies says: “Today’s publication will no doubt lead to a raft of immediate applications, particularly in those locations, such as Stockport which do not have an up-to-date local plan.”
The Stockport Liberal Democrats have opposed the NPPF reforms, citing scaremongering concerns over Green Belt protection and mandatory housing targets.
We disagree, believing that the NPPF provides the flexibility needed to address local challenges. Without mandatory housing targets, we risk worsening the housing crisis, leaving Stockport families without the homes they desperately need.
We could have also had a plan years ago, which would have helped protect more of our Green Belt.
However, frequent delays from this Lib Dem administration and the reckless decision to pull out of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework in 2020 mean Stockport is now in a perilous position from a planning perspective.
Remember: every development in Stockport that is recommended ‘grant’ due to being without a local plan and not delivering enough homes is down to them.
While we prioritise a ‘brownfield first’ approach, we also recognise the need to consider low-quality Green Belt land strategically. Any development on such land must deliver significant social benefits, including affordable housing, to justify its use. The ‘Golden Rules’ of the NPPF, requiring at least 50% affordable housing on Green Belt releases and necessary improvements to services and infrastructure, are a positive step toward achieving this balance.
We believe that the updated NPPF could provide a pathway for Stockport to meet its housing needs responsibly. It’s time to get this local plan done, act responsibility as we have consistently advocated over many years, and build the homes we need in a planned and thoughtful way.
Cllr David Meller, Leader Stockport Labour Group