Bilfinger GVA has urged for a more ambitious growth plan following the release of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework’s (GMSF) supporting evidence base.
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) released the first issue of the GMSF last week, to be followed by the supporting evidence base.
Nicola Rigby, Director in Planning, Development and Regeneration at Bilfinger GVA, comments: “We welcome the release of the eagerly anticipated GMSF – it marks a major milestone for the city region and will act as a framework for delivering Manchester‘s future prosperity. Nevertheless, we need to be clear here that this is a once in 15-year opportunity to get the level and distribution of growth right for Manchester, and we feel the plan can go further.”
The Framework will aim to ensure the delivery of the right land in the right locations to deliver the homes and jobs Greater Manchester needs up to 2035, underpinned by much needed new and expanded infrastructure provision.
Rigby adds: “The scale and level of Green Belt release and infrastructure delivery remain key strategic priorities to address the demands and opportunities for growth in all of our Core Cities. This is a fundamental challenge in addressing economic imbalances across the country, and critically ensuring all of our core cities are contributing to UK plc growth.
“We support the theme of equality being at the heart of the GMSF. The EU Referendum taught us a lot about how our communities connect with our Core Cities and their growth prospects. The plan intends to address the perceived disconnects between the two, highlighting the importance that “none of our residents get left behind” and building on competitive advantage and accelerating growth in those areas where economic activity is weakest. This is a strong message and one which the plan rightly points out cannot be delivered by the framework alone, but rather is dependent on the successful implementation of radical devolution plans, which should remain priorities across all of our city regions alongside the emergence of strategic planning documents.”
