Plans to build 270-home estate on former green belt land

A developer has launched a consultation about its plans to build a 270-home estate on green land on the outskirts of Bury. Housebuilder Wain Estates has created a website with details of their plans for ‘Scobell Street’ in the village of Walshaw, north of Bury.

The development is part of a wider allocation of green belt land in Walshaw for up to 1,250 homes included in the recently adopted Places for Everyone (PfE) plan which sets out housebuilding targets for nine of the 10 Greater Manchester councils until 2039. Stockport is the only area which is not included in that over-arching plan.

The PfE plan is the subject of a legal challenge from various regional pressure groups hoping to protect green belt allocations included within it. That case is due to be heard in Manchester in the autumn.

The ‘Scobell Street’ website includes a public consultation which will run until Monday, September 9, which will gather opinions about the scheme. The questions included are about the type and size of housing, the provision of open space as part of the development and invites comments on the layout and other facilities people would like to see included.

The consultation gives more details about the proposed development. It states: “In Walshaw, there is a need for a wide range of new homes for the local community.

“This development would provide up to 270 new homes of which 25 per cent would be affordable. There is a national housing shortage and the Walshaw area is no exception. More homes are needed to meet pressing and future demand, and the supply of new homes isn’t keeping up. The average house in Bury now costs eight times the average earnings.

“There is also a pressing need for affordable housing across the whole of Bury, with