Are Labour's planning reforms delivering for Greater Manchester?

Greater Manchester is successfully getting on with the job of delivering the thousands of new homes required for its growing population, but the government needs to think carefully about the potentially negative impact of some of its planning reforms.

That was the message from a lively panel discussion – ‘Are Labour’s Planning Reforms Delivering for Greater Manchester?’ - hosted by SEC Newgate’s Manchester office at Cloud 23 in the Beetham Tower, Manchester.

The event also provided an opportunity for attendees to learn more about the Northern findings of SEC Newgate’s 2025 National Planning Barometer research, which highlighted some scepticism among planning committee members on the likelihood of the government achieving its target of 1.5 million homes this parliament.

Councillor Nick Peel, leader of Bolton Council, agreed that the 1.5 million target was unachievable, but was positive about the emphasis being placed on delivering social housing.

He expressed concerns that the construction skills shortage cited by many respondents to the National Planning Barometer as a key barrier to delivery might be exacerbated by any moves to limit the number of overseas workers supporting the sector.

He also raised concerns about the emphasis placed on brownfield sites, saying it was unfair to target development at areas which already tend to be densely populated. He said that moves to limit planning committees to only 11 members could mean that they are no longer representative of the communities they serve. Bolton’s response to consultation on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill points out that larger planning committees are necessary in local authority areas where there can be many active political parties. In Bolton, for instance, there are six active parties.

Councillor Peel said that if government was serious about speeding up the planning process, they would delegate large applications to officers, not just small. He spoke passionately in support of the current role for planning committee members.

Andrew Johnston, founder of the Made it Together planning consultancy, and a former member of the in-house team at developer Urban Splash, welcomed moves to streamline planning decisions through increased delegation to council officers.

Sandy Livingstone, Executive Director of Growth at the Onward Homes housing association, spoke passionately about working in partnership with local authorities in Greater Manchester to deliver social housing. He said it was unfair that planners often get the blame for delays in delivery of new homes, whereas there are many other factors at play, including delivery of key infrastructure. Onward Housing sees the 1.5 million new homes target as important in driving momentum in building as a vehicle of economic growth and providing the social housing the country needs, moving towards the target by the end of the parliament.

Ellie Philcox, director at Euan Kellie Property Solutions, said that in spite of some negativity, it was an “exciting time for Greater Manchester”, suggesting that the city-region is somewhat immune to the impact of the government’s planning reforms and other national factors.

This is in part due to the success of Places For Everyone, the joint development plan agreed by nine out of 10 of Greater Manchester’s local authorities, with only Stockport opting out.

“What we are seeing is nine out of 10 local plans coming forward and it’s exciting to see how that is going to play out in terms of decision making,” she said.

Download the 2025 National Planning Barometer here