Greater Manchester Spatial Framework – It Took A While – But We Think It Was Worth The Wait

The newly published Greater Manchester Spatial Framework is already making headlines, principally because it suggests making the first substantial changes to the green belt that we have seen in a generation.

However whilst we are sure there will be a lively debate about green belts and new housing allocations, from our perspective there are other matters bound within the plan that are perhaps even more worthy of note.

Firstly, we should consider the political context within which this plan has been produced. The very fragmented policy making that has been a feature of planning across Greater Manchester for the last 25 years has been consigned to the bin – that is a huge step forward. No more arguing across artificial boundaries, rather a mature response to the challenges of planning for the future across an economic geography populated by 2.7m people – which over the lifetime of the plan will grow to 3m.