The Oldham Liberal Democrats have demanded an emergency session in order to extricate the local authority from the 'controversial' Greater Manchester housing plan, Places for Everyone. During a crucial meeting set for February 12, councillors will cast votes on whether they should approach the Secretary of State with a formal request to have Oldham removed from the initiative.
Places for Everyone (PfE) is a strategic scheme across nine Greater Manchester boroughs aimed at delivering over 170,000 new residences region-wide, with Oldham's share being 11,500 homes. However, the scheme has faced stiff opposition, particularly regarding concerns over the use of greenbelt land.
The call for an extraordinary meeting comes after prolonged disagreement within the council that began in August. This friction was ostensibly exacerbated when the results of a council-commissioned review into the ramifications of exiting the plan were rejected in the chamber.
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Opponents of the PfE scheme interpreted the vote as leading to Oldham's withdrawal, but the administration maintained that another standalone motion was necessary, reports .
Lib Dem representatives have now put forward such a motion. Sam Al-Hamdani, deputy leader of the Oldham Lib Dems, strongly criticised the planning process associated with PfE, saying: "This has been kicked down the road by the administration for nearly a year."
"PfE is part of a planning process that hands the keys over to developers and hopes that they will happen to build the houses we want instead of the most profitable ones for them. That will never work for people.
"It's part of a broken system, and this vote is about making it clear that we want more social housing, we want healthcare and education to be essential to planning, and we want houses in the right places, not on green spaces."
The Oldham section of the plan involves areas such as Beal Valley, Bottom Field Farm, Broadbent Moss, south of Coal Pit Lane, and south of Rosary Road, all of which are partially or entirely designated as greenbelt.
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However, Elaine Taylor, Oldham's housing lead, has argued that by giving up a small portion of the greenbelt, the PfE scheme ensures stronger protection for the remaining green spaces. Arooj Shah, leader of Oldham council, has called the request 'reckless', saying: "Oldham's removal from the plan would not remove our obligation to identify land for future housing and jobs.
"The Lib Dems have failed to provide an alternative plan and the reality is that the absence of a plan leaves us open to unrestrained, uncontrolled development. As inconvenient as this is, it is the truth.
"The challenge they now face is 'what next? ' having swindled local people into thinking there is a magic bullet that will better protect the green belt. They haven't produced one because there isn't one."
An extraordinary meeting has been scheduled immediately following an urgent meeting convened by the Conservative group concerning the CSE inquiry in Oldham.One councillor, who wished to remain unnamed, expressed reservations about tackling the two contentious topics in one evening, saying: "I'm not sure putting the two most controversial issues into the same evening is a good idea".