Bury Local Plan

Link to the Full Bury Local Plan Site: http://www.bury.gov.uk/localplan

Please, it is so important that we have as many constructive points from all parties to formulate our response which must be delivered by 2nd October 2017. Our group whose aim is to protect our green spaces for future generations must form a comprehensive response.

Responses can be sent to our official email address: buryfolkoffical@gmail.com

Alternatively please post to: 109 Bury and Bolton Road, Radcliffe, M26 4JY

Previous Position

Bury has created a local plan before but it has not been taken forward.  Everyone has the right to contribute to this latest version.  Below is the text from the letter sent out to people who had already registered an interest.  Please feel free to give your opinions to this process, to your councillors and your MP.

NOTICE OF INTENTION TO PREPARE THE BURY LOCAL PLAN AND INVITATION TO MAKE REPRESENTATIONS ON WHAT THE LOCAL PLAN SHOULD CONTAIN.

We are contacting you as you have previously expressed an interest in local planning matters and your details are included on our consultation database.

Under Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning)(England) Regulation 2012, notice is hereby given that Bury Council is proposing to prepare a new Local Plan to replace the existing saved policies of the Bury Unitary Development Plan.

WHAT IS A LOCAL PLAN?

A Local Plan is a plan that is drawn up to guide and manage future growth and development (such as housing, offices, industry, warehousing and retail). It contains planning policies that will be used as the basis for determining planning applications and identifies sites where this development should be built as well as areas where development should be restricted.

BURY’S DEVELOPMENT PLAN

The new Bury Local Plan will form part of a set of documents that will together form Bury’s overall development plan. The development plan for Bury will ultimately comprise of:
§ the Bury Local Plan;
§ the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF);
§ the Greater Manchester Joint Waste Plan; and
§ the Greater Manchester Joint Minerals Plan.

GREATER MANCHESTER SPATIAL FRAMEWORK

Bury Council has also been involved in the preparation of the GMSF since 2014 and, once adopted, this document will form a key part of Bury’s development plan. Consultation on a draft of this document ended in January 2017. The GMSF process recently consulted on:
§ How much housing land and employment floorspace is needed to 2035 and identified a number of strategic site allocations across Greater Manchester to assist in meeting these needs;
§ Proposed revisions to the Greater Manchester Green Belt to accommodate the identified strategic sites;
§ The importance of infrastructure such as health, education, transport, green spaces and utilities to support neighbourhoods and employment; and
§ Ways to protect and improve the environment.

BURY LOCAL PLAN

Given that the GMSF will form an integral part of Bury’s development plan, it is important to note that the approach set out in the GMSF will need to be reflected in the Bury Local Plan. In particular, the Local Plan will incorporate and reflect the levels of growth, the strategic policy approach, strategic site allocations and any revisions to the Green Belt that may evolve through the GMSF.

The Local Plan will complement the GMSF and cover the same timeframe. It will deal with matters at the local level, covering planning policies and site allocations in relation to:
- Sustainable Development;
- Natural Environment;
- Housing;
- Open Land;
- Economy and Employment;
- Built Environment and Heritage;
- Retail and Town Centres;
- Transport and Accessibility; and
- Communities, Health and Wellbeing;
- Infrastructure.
- Climate Change and Flood Risk;

During its preparation, the Local Plan will be subject to an Integrated Assessment (incorporating Sustainability Appraisal and Health and Equality Impact Assessments). A Habitats Regulation Assessment will also be undertaken.