Newly elected Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has appointed Salford mayor Paul Dennett to carry out a 'radical rewrite' of the city-region's draft spatial framework.

The Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF), published for consultation in October last year, includes plans to remove 4,900 hectares of land from Greater Manchester’s green belt to provide tens of thousands of new homes.

In January, Burnham said that he supported the plan’s overall goal of 227,000 new homes up to 2035, but added: "I believe we should be aiming to ensure that a much higher percentage of those homes are affordable homes to rent and to own."

He added: "Consequently, I believe the plan should be refocused to provide for higher-density residential developments in brownfield areas, and in particular our town centres."

Burnham also said that the plan "needs to be subject to a radical rewrite that results in a substantial reduction in loss of green belt".

Following his election win last week, Burnham has confirmed that the document will be altered.

In a series of tweets yesterday, he announced that "a radical rewrite of the spatial framework" would be carried out by the mayor of Salford, Paul Dennett.

Burnham said: "Today I am signaling a change in Greater Manchester's housing policy. As mayor I am going to focus on tackling the housing crisis and ensure truly affordable housing is available for everyone in Greater Manchester.

"I will listen to communities and oversee a radical rewrite of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework. I will keep those high ambitions for the homes and jobs we need but there will be a substantial reduction in the loss of greenbelt. Our plan will build the right kind of homes in the right places.

"I'm also issuing a call to developers to work with me to revitalise and reshape our town centres. I want our towns to be residential centres that are fit for the future.

"As Salford city mayor, Paul is driving the development of social and affordable homes across the city. His zero tolerance approach to poverty and commitment to making sure local people have access to decent, truly affordable homes make him the right person for this role. I’m confident he will help me deliver the homes Greater Manchester needs."

Source: Planning resource