THE latest draft of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) has been published outlining the council's plans has for development in the borough over coming years.

Under the draft the proposed development of greenfield land south of Pennington has been removed entirely, which was welcomed by Leigh MP James Grundy.

However, proposals for an expansion of industrial space at Junction 25 of the M6, key to the borough’s economic growth plans, remain in the latest draft.

And the plans for 600 homes and 15,000sqm of employment space at the Pocket Nook site in Lowton, and the ‘North of Mosley Common’ site, which is proposed to have 1,100 new houses built on it, are also still included.

Reacting to the latest draft, Mr Grundy said: "The extremely controversial 'South of Pennington' green belt site has been dropped, which I know will come as a massive relief both for the residents of Pennington and for the farming families there. I'm glad we were able to stop this part of the plan, even though the fight took several years."

Leigh Journal:

He added: "Three sites remain however. The 'West of Gibfield' site in Atherton, slated for 500 houses and a 45,500 sqm extension to Gibfield Park, the 'North of Mosley Common' site, which is proposed to have 1100 new houses built on it, and the 'Pocket Nook' site in Lowton, which is proposed to have 600 additional houses and 15,000 sqm of warehousing and offices built on it.

"These plans will have a massive impact on our communities, and I will be working with community groups and, in the case of Gibfield, my colleague Chris Green, MP for Bolton West and Atherton, to fight for the interests of my constituents regarding these massive developments."

  • See the latest draft here .