Leaders in row over plans for green belt

A row has broken out over the Rochdale borough’s 20-year development blueprint.

Rochdale Council’s Labour leader says he is ‘absolutely disgusted’ with his Conservative counterpart’s ‘no building on the green belt’ stance.

The latest draft of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, includes controversial proposals to build on green belt land, including at Bamford, Newhey and near Smithy Bridge.

Rochdale Council believes it have addressed public concerns by removing or ‘scaling back’ the most contentious plans from the first draft and creating new areas of green belt.

Under the plan 60% of the borough would remain as green belt – making it statistically the greenest of the 10 Greater Manchester authorities.

But – as with the first blueprint – the plans have provoked an angry backlash from some areas, with concerns remaining over loss of green belt and the impact on roads and public services.

Conservative leader Ashley Dearnley declared recently that his group was ‘totally opposed’ to building on the green belt – provoking fury from Rochdale council leader Allen Brett.

Councillor Brett said: “I am absolutely disgusted that instead of discussing things with us, he has called for blanket opposition to the entire spatial strategy, even though he knows that is the only way we are going to become a more prosperous borough.

“It’s opposition for the sake of opposition, I think he is being led by some of the more right-wing people in his party.”

Council planners have designated 175 hectares of land as green belt for the first time – to offset some of the green belt take – and Councillor Brett says he is angry that Councillor Dearnley and his party oppose the plans despite these ‘compensations’.

The draft remains out for public comments until March 18, and Councillor Brett insists he is ‘definitely still listening to people’ and a decision on any further changes to the plan will be made after the consultation period.

But he continued: “The only way we are really going to become a more prosperous area is to adopt some of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework strategy. We need more houses and industry, otherwise we will remain one of the poorest boroughs in Greater Manchester.”

Branding his Conservative counterpart ‘blindly loyal’ to the government, he added: “I think Ashley Dearnley is aware of this and also aware that the government has taken nearly £200m out of the local economy over the last few years.”

But Councillor Dearnley has hit back at the Labour leader’s accusations – claiming he is acting in the bests interests of the people he represents.

“I’m not blindly loyal to the government, I’m loyal to the people we represent as Conservatives, I’m not blind, I’m loyal to them.

“We strongly believe that there are choices to be made. It’s nonsense to constantly blame the government for everything, it’s up to the council to provide houses and jobs.”

The Wardle and West Littleborough ward councillor says his concerns over a lack of infrastructure – roads and public services – are behind his opposition to the proposals as they stand.

He said: “Of course we want to see them, I have made it quite clear in my letter to the press, but not at the expense of green belt and not until the infrastructure is in place to allow any further large-scale development to take place.

“That isn’t in place – it’s a disaster on the roads, people will not come to live here while congestion is like it is and all these houses will just make it a lot worse.”

“I would think very differently if the infrastructure was in place – especially in the Littleborough area – and it’s for the council to make sure the infrastructure is in place, it’s not the government’s problem, it’s an issue for the council.

“If the infrastructure was there it would be a different situation, but I’m implacably opposed to any further development until such a time that happens.

“It’s not a right-wing agenda or a political agenda – it’s putting the interests of the people who live here first.”

Councillor Dearnley also said he ‘did not accept’ that without building on green belt the borough was destined to remain poor, adding that the council’s priority should be to ‘regenerate’ the town centre and ‘inner area’ to create more housing for first-time buyers.

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporter