Plea to pull out of 'flawed' GMSF

COUNCILLOR Blyth speaks at the Tandle Hill protest

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A PETITION calling on Oldham Council to withdraw from the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework has been started by Oldham Liberal Democrats.

The local Lib-Dem group has set up the petition which states that the GMSF is "fundamentally flawed" and will have a detrimental effect on green land in Saddleworth, Royton, Shaw, Crompton and Chadderton.

It follows a motion, proposed by Lib-Dems at a full council meeting on March 22, which urged the council to withdraw from the GMSF and instead develop a 15-year local housing and development plan for the borough.

Alternative

The motion was amended by the Labour group during the meeting to state that the council would remain in the GMSF but would look to use brownfield and alternative sites first before using green belt land.

Saddleworth North councillor Garth Harkness said: "It is frustrating that Labour, lacking the honesty to vote openly for keeping GMSF, 'amended' and wrecked our proposal by taking out the resolution to leave.

"So Labour will wring its hands but make sure our hills are concreted over."

The petition, which is available online, urges Oldham Council to formally withdraw from GMSF and develops its own environmentally-friendly Local Plan.

Shaw Liberal Democrat councillor Rod Blyth said: "Greater Manchester Spatial Framework is fundamentally flawed and will have a detrimental effect on green land in Saddleworth, Royton, Shaw, Crompton and Chadderton."

A demonstration in January saw nearly 3,000 residents joint together at Tandle Hill Monument to protest the GMSF while Oldhamers also joined with residents from across Manchester as part of a Save Greater Manchester's Green Belt rally in Manchester city centre earlier this month.

Crompton councillor Dave Murphy added: "We need more homes but green fields should not be despoiled while we have previously developed land, buildings which could be converted, stockpiles of land with planning permission and long-term empty houses, Oldham council should withdraw and develop its own environmentally-friendly Local Plan."

The GMSF plan requires 13,700 new homes to be built and 700,000 square metres of land to be made available for new factories and warehouses in Oldham.

Within the GMSF, it is proposed new properties will be built at Cowlishaw, Beal Valley, Broadbent Moss, Hanging Chadder and Greenfield among others. The Lib-Dems added that they are concerned other areas will be threatened in later phases of the GMSF.

To sign the petition visit www.garthharkness.mycouncillor.org.uk/2017/04/18/lib-dem-petition-to-save-the-green-belt-and-green-spaces/#page-content.