Below is Stockport Labour Group’s response to the Regulation 18 Draft Local Plan, which will shape decisions on housing, employment, infrastructure and environmental protection across the borough for decades to come. We support the ambition to deliver new homes, jobs and infrastructure, and we recognise the scale of the challenge Stockport faces in meeting housing need while responding to climate change and supporting economic growth.
However, ambition alone is not enough. The Local Plan must be judged on whether it delivers for the people of Stockport, particularly those who are currently being left behind. Growth must be fair, inclusive and sustainable, with affordable and social housing at its heart, investment spread across the whole borough, and infrastructure delivered alongside development rather than years later.
This response sets out where we support the overall direction of the plan, and where we believe changes are needed to ensure it tackles inequality, strengthens communities, and answers one simple question at the core of every policy decision: does this make Stockport fairer?
We also encourage residents, community organisations and stakeholders to submit their own responses to the consultation if they have not already done so. The consultation closes on Sunday 21 December.
Cllr Christine Carrigan, leader of Stockport Labour Group
SUMMARY
Stockport Labour Group welcomes the ambition of the Regulation 18 Draft Local Plan, but we believe some changes are required to ensure that it delivers the homes, infrastructure, and opportunities that our residents need.
Stockport faces a severe shortage of housing, with families unable to find affordable options and young people struggling to get on the housing ladder. While we support a brownfield-first approach, it is clear that brownfield alone cannot deliver the number or type of homes required. Some Green Belt allocations will be essential for providing family homes with gardens, supporting social rent housing, and meeting the diverse needs of a growing and ageing population.
Stockport Labour believes that affordable and social housing must sit at the heart of this plan. Social housing provides security, dignity, and stability, and although we welcome the strategic target of 50% affordable housing, residents need certainty that genuinely affordable and social rent homes will be deliver, not simply shared ownership or other products that remain inaccessible to many. This plan must commit to tenure-blind developments and to meeting social housing need in full.
While development in the town centre plays an important role, a rigid Town Centre First approach does not work for everyone. Many residents, particularly families and older people, want homes in quieter neighbourhoods with access to green space. High-rise living with high-quality green infrastructure has potential, but it cannot be the sole focus of the borough’s growth. We believe that development should be better distributed across Stockport to reflect the needs of different communities.
The plan’s proposed phasing of development risks creating unnecessary delays. Homes are needed now, and while infrastructure must accompany growth, this cannot become an excuse for slow delivery. Infrastructure planning should support development rather than hold it back.
We’re also worried that the plan lacks a clear approach to improving existing homes and local infrastructure in some of the borough’s most deprived areas, such as Lancashire Hill and Brinnington. People living there deserve investment in transport, regeneration and better-quality housing, not just new developments in the more central or more affluent parts of the borough.
Stockport is the most unequal borough in Greater Manchester, and this plan should be working to close that gap. Every decision should come back to one simple question: does this make Stockport fairer?
Section 106 contributions need to be used openly and in line with what local communities actually need. Councillors should have a stronger role in deciding how this money is spent, so it goes into things like schools, health services, parks and roads that make a real difference to residents.
We also need to recognise the needs of Stockport’s ageing population. The plan should set out firmer commitments to accessible/adaptable, age-friendly housing close to key services. Policy should make it easier for older residents to move to more suitable homes without being priced out, building on successful examples like St Thomas’.
And finally, the existing measures around HMOs, including Article 4 Directions and minimum standards, must not only be kept but strengthened in the new plan.
POLICY-SPECIFIC COMMENTS
HOM 1 – Delivering New Homes
We strongly support the target of delivering 25,371 homes by 2042. Brownfield-first principles are sensible but insufficient to meet Stockport’s scale of need. The plan should explicitly commit to appropriate Green Belt allocations to ensure the delivery of family homes, social rent properties, accessible and supported housing, and developments with gardens and green space.
HOM 2a & HOM 2b – Allocated Sites and Phasing
The current phasing proposals risk pushing much-needed homes far into the future. Families cannot wait ten or fifteen years for delivery. Phasing should be simplified so it doesn’t become a barrier in its own right. New development must come with the right infrastructure, but the process needs to be streamlined so we aren’t adding unnecessary delays.
HOM 5 – Affordable Housing
We support the ambition for 50% affordable housing, but the plan must clearly commit to delivering social rent homes, not just other affordable tenures. Social housing should be prioritised, and all developments should be genuinely tenure-blind to support mixed, cohesive communities.
STC 1–6 – Town Centre First
Town centre regeneration is important, but a strict Town Centre First approach doesn’t meet everyone’s needs. Not all residents want high-density living, and many families and older people prefer quieter neighbourhoods with easy access to green space. High-rise schemes can include excellent green infrastructure, but we still need development across the wider borough to make sure housing options suit different households.
COM 1–8 – Communities
There is no clear plan for supporting communities in more deprived areas such as Lancashire Hill and Brinnington. Improving existing homes, transport connections and local facilities must be a priority if we are serious about tackling inequality and ensuring every part of Stockport shares in future growth.
CR 1–5 – Climate Resilience
We back the plan’s sustainability goals, but they need to be applied with enough flexibility to avoid making sites unviable or slowing delivery. Climate-friendly development and timely delivery should go hand in hand.
INF 1 – Infrastructure and Section 106
Section 106 spending needs far greater transparency and stronger local accountability. Councillors should have a more direct role in deciding how funds are used so that money goes into schools, healthcare, parks and highways in line with what communities actually need.
Equality Across the Borough
Stockport remains the most unequal borough in Greater Manchester, and the Local Plan must actively work to change that. Investment cannot be focused solely on the town centre or the borough’s most affluent areas. Every policy should be judged on whether it helps to reduce inequality.
HOM 7 – Housing for Older People
The plan does not yet do enough for Stockport’s growing older population. We need firmer commitments to providing accessible, age-friendly homes close to key services, and policies that make it easier for older residents to move to suitable housing without facing financial hurdles. Successful schemes like St Thomas’ should help shape this approach.
HOM 11 – HMOs
The existing Article 4 Direction for HMOs is already council policy and must be retained and properly implemented. The plan should also include a clear, borough-wide HMO policy with minimum standards to protect both residents and neighbourhoods.