About Places for Everyone
Places for Everyone is a long-term plan for new jobs, homes, and sustainable growth.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) created the plan for Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.
Adoption of the Places for Everyone plan
The Places for Everyone plan was adopted on the 21 March 2024 as part of the Development Plan for Rochdale.
This follows all 9 Places for Everyone Councils considering the Inspectors’ recommendations and adoption of the Plan and related documentation at Council meetings held between 28 February 2024 and 20 March 2024. This includes Rochdale’s Full Council meeting held on 20 March 2024.
Starting on the day after the Places for Everyone plan comes into effect, Friday, 22 March 2024, any person aggrieved by the adoption of the Places for Everyone plan has 6 weeks (to Thursday, 2 May 2024) to make an application to the High Court under Section 113 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 on the grounds that:
- The Plan is not within the appropriate power conferred by the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004;
- A procedural requirement of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, or its associated Regulations have not been complied with.
Adoption Documentation
The following documents are available to view on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Places for Everyone adoption website.
- Places for Everyone Joint Development Plan Document (PfE Plan)
- Places for Everyone Policies Map
- Integrated Appraisal Reports (including Sustainability Appraisal Report)
- Adoption Statement
Electronic copies of the documents listed above will be available in all council libraries
In addition, a hard copy of the Places for Everyone Joint Development Plan Document, the Places for Everyone Policies Map and the Adoption Statement will be available to view in the 4 main libraries – Rochdale Central Library, Middleton Library, Heywood Library and Littleborough Library as soon as the hard copies are available.
Inspectors' Report 2024
The Inspectors’ Report, received on 14 February 2024, marks the end of the examination into the plan which included public hearing sessions which took place between 1 November 2022 and 5 July 2023. The report sets out the findings of the examination of the Places for Everyone Joint Development Plan Document (PfE). The inspectors conclude all legal requirements have been met and the recommended main modifications set out in the appendix of their report, the Places for Everyone Joint Development Plan Document for Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan satisfies the requirements referred to in Section 20(5)(a) of the 2004 Act and is sound.
All 9 Places for Everyone authorities consider the inspectors’ recommendations and adoption of the Plan at council meetings held between 28 February 2024 and 20 March 2024.
An electronic copy of the Inspectors' Report will be available in all council libraries. In addition, a hard copy of the Inspectors' Report will be available to view in the 4 main libraries – Rochdale Central Library, Middleton Library, Heywood Library and Littleborough Library as soon as the hard copies are available.
Previous stages of the plan
Places for Everyone plan and submission documents
9 councils in Greater Manchester submitted the Places for Everyone plan to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in February 2022. The plan was submitted together with all the supporting documents, background evidence and representations received during the final stage of public consultation which took place from Monday, 9 August 2021–Sunday, 3 October 2021.
The plan and submission documents are available on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Places for Everyone website.
Places for Everyone examination
The Places for Everyone joint development plan document is currently undergoing an independent examination, conducted by the Planning Inspectorate. This process began on Monday, 14 February 2022, and is still ongoing.
As part of this process, a number of public hearings took place between November 2022 and March 2023, with an additional session in July 2023.
Modifications consultation
Consultation closing date: Wednesday, 6 December 2023
The planning inspectorate has now recommended some proposed modifications to the Places for Everyone joint development plan. The timescale which the plan is intended to cover is proposed to change from 2020–2037, to 2022–2039.
A public consultation on these proposed modifications started on Wednesday, 11 October 2023.
This consultation has now closed.
Additional green belt land in the borough of Rochdale
The Places for Everyone submitted plan proposed to add 8 sites into the green belt in Rochdale borough.
The inspectors have concluded that 6 of these sites should not be added to the green belt. These sites already benefit from protection from development under various existing policies.
The 2 sites which are recommended to remain as proposed additions to the green belt are:
- Land to the west of Stakehill Business Park
- Land at Summit, Heywood
The sites which would not be added to the green belt under the proposed modifications are:
- Land within the Roch Valley, Smallbridge
- Land at Firgrove Playing Fields, Rochdale
- Land between the railway line and Rochdale Canal, Littleborough
- Land north of St Andrew’s Church, Dearnley
- Land at Townhouse Brook, Littleborough
- Land north of Shore, Littleborough
Aims of the Places for Everyone plan
The Places for Everyone plan aims to:
- Manage land development up until 2039.
- Plan new homes, employment space and infrastructure.
- Cater for our growing populations.
- Boost the prosperity of Greater Manchester and make it one of the best places in the world to live and work.
- Ensure housing and employment opportunities are spread more evenly across Greater Manchester so boroughs like Rochdale do not lag behind.