Issue - meetings

Report of the Leader of the Council is attached.

The Leader presented a report regarding the Bury Local Plan, a long-term framework to manage future growth and development in the Borough from 2022 to 2043, setting out locally specific planning policies used to determine and shape future planning applications and development proposals. Members noted this had been updated as a result of representations received during the public consultation period and would go out for further consultation before a final version would seek Council approval.

It was noted that this report was discussed in detail at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting the previous evening, and recommendations had been noted.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1. Approved the Publication Bury Local Plan, Policies Map and supporting background documents and invite representations over for an eight-week period commencing no earlier than 10 July 2026; and
2. Delegated power to the Executive Director of Place to make minor non-material editorial amendments to the Publication Local Plan before the invitation to make representations commences.

Reasons for the decision:

To ensure that stakeholders have a further opportunity to have their say on the emerging Bury Local Plan.

Alternative options considered and rejected:

To not approve the Publication Local Plan, Policies Map and supporting background documents. This would prevent stakeholders commenting on the Publication Local Plan and would result in the future adoption of the document being contrary to planning regulations and legal requirements.

Report of the Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth is attached.

The Chair invited Councillor E. O’Brien, Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth, to present a brief overview of the report that had been circulated in advance of the meeting. Councillor O’Brien outlined the next steps in progressing the Local Plan site allocations and the associated Development Frameworks, emphasising their role in bringing forward strategic housing sites and supporting the delivery of the borough’s housing requirements.

Councillor Southworth raised concerns regarding a number of outline planning applications in Bury North on land currently designated as Green Belt, where applicants were seeking to classify sites as “grey belt”. He asked whether one of the aims of the PfE strategy was to reduce infilling within existing communities and ease pressure on local infrastructure, and what incentives existed for developers to prioritise allocated PfE sites.

In response, Councillor O’Brien stated that every planning application must be determined on its own merits against national, regional and local planning policy. He explained that the Council must demonstrate delivery of housing sites to meet both short-term housing supply requirements and longer-term housing needs. Progressing the Development Frameworks would help bring forward strategic housing sites and strengthen the Council’s ability to resist development on unallocated sites.

Councillor Birchmore queried the Council’s approach to “grey belt” land and whether there were any adopted criteria for identifying such sites. It was explained that the National Planning Policy Framework defines grey belt land as Green Belt land that is either previously developed or does not strongly contribute to the purposes of preventing unrestricted urban sprawl, preventing neighbouring towns from merging, or preserving the setting of historic towns. The Council had not conducted a specific assessment to identify potential grey belt sites, but this could be considered in the future.

Discussion then moved to monitoring arrangements within the Local Plan. Members heard that a comprehensive suite of key performance indicators would be used throughout the life of the Plan, covering a wide range of measures including housing delivery, climate change and biodiversity. Officers advised that the monitoring framework would provide early indications where policies or approaches may require adjustment, although significant changes were not anticipated.

Councillor Sheppard asked several questions relating to housing delivery targets within the Local Plan. Officers confirmed that the housing requirement of 452 dwellings per year between 2025 and 2030 was not linked to any specific dwelling type, although both PfE Policy JP-H3 and emerging Local Plan Policy LP-H3 promote a suitable mix of housing sizes and types.

Members were advised that there had been 836 housing completions between 2022 and 2025, exceeding the PfE requirement of 738 dwellings over the same period, meaning there was no housing shortfall. It was further confirmed that the housing land supply includes sites identified within the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA), including major brownfield opportunities such as East Lancs Paper Mill.

In response to a question regarding the make-up of the 836 housing completions, officers highlighted that the largest contributors included developments at Mountheath in Prestwich, the former Andrews Textiles site  ...  view the full minutes text for item 105