At a dramatic extraordinary meeting of Stockport Council, Councillors voted not to proceed with the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) in its current form by 35 votes to 26.
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of the Liberal Democrats at Stockport Town Hall, said: “Finally other groups have joined with the Lib Dems and voted down GMSF, which has caused immense concern for local residents for several years, threatening the Green Belt and open spaces across the borough in the process.
“We have been arguing for a focus on Stockport’s own Local Plan for over four years now and we have until the end of 2023 to develop a plan that is robust but protects the green spaces our residents care about. We are not opposed to working with our Greater Manchester neighbours and other political parties to make a success of a new strategy. Urgent work is now needed to ensure that the Labour administration act to protect our borough from developers who want to simply concrete over the Green Belt.
“This is a clear victory for common sense and many residents will share our relief that these unloved plans have been rejected.”
