THE HIGHLY contentious Godley Green Garden Village project has moved a step further after a development partnership was agreed.
As The Correspondent detailed, not every landowner in the area which lies off Mottram Old Road in Hyde and is targeted to have 2,150 homes built on it has agreed terms to sell.
And Alan French, of Far Meadow Farm, has spoken of his fears of being kick off ‘just so some housing developers can make some cash.’
But Tameside Council is moving forward with what it calls its ‘flagship project’ and has reached an agreement with MADE Partnership.
After snapping up much of the land at the Godley Green site, the joint venture between Barratt Redrow plc, Homes England and Lloyds Banking Group will mastermind the scheme.
During the initial period of exclusivity, MADE Partnership and Tameside Council will work with the site’s existing developers and landowners to agree a comprehensive master development strategy.
Both organisations will seek to conclude negotiations on the final terms of that in 2025, with the aim of starting on site in early 2026.
Once established, the partnership will be responsible for overseeing and managing the development of the garden village, taking responsibility for the overall vision and strategy and co-ordinating the wide range of stakeholders involved.
The venture was established to provide what is necessary to deliver large-scale and complex developments such as Godley Green.
MADE Partnership, for whom this agreement is the first of its kind, will ‘fund and install the primary and community infrastructure, create serviced parcels of land for housebuilders, deliver an ambitious social value strategy and ensure robust long-term stewardship is put in place.’
Godley Green received outline planning permission for the second time on Wednesday, October 16.
Objectors spelled out their worries, with Hyde Godley Councillor Andrea Colbourne stating: “I have concerns with the recommendation that says authority will be delegated to the head of planning to amend conditions. This reduces accountability.”
Claire Elliott, of Save Tameside Greenbelt, questioned the council’s ability to manage the project and added: “Alan French is a landowner who doesn’t want to sell. He’s still none the wiser. How many of you would like to be in the dark, not knowing if your home is going to be taken away from you?”
At that meeting of Tameside Council’s Speaker’s Pane (Planning) committee, planning officer Steven Kirkham said conditions can be imposed on unsold land as part of a section 106 agreement with the developer, which is hoped to be completed by spring 2025.
As things stand, the main points of that will see a minimum of 15 per cent of the properties to be affordable housing.
More than £5 million will be paid for education developments, including a proposed new primary school and improvements to nearby Alder Community High School.
Delivery of public open space and off-site highway improvements are also included, as is a minimum biodiversity net gain of 10 per cent in provisions made.
And a report states: “Legal advice has confirmed it appropriate to use conditions to support the securing of a section 106 prior to any development commencing on certain site parcels that cannot enter into the section 106 at this point in time.”
Mr Kirkham also pointed out where Premier League football giants Arsenal come in, relating to a 2005 case which saw the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott backed in the High Court to use planning laws to support the building of their Emirates Stadium.
He added: “It’s called the Arsenal condition because it relates to a precedent set on the Emirates Stadium.
“Those parcels of land cannot be developed until owners enter the equivalent of the section 106 agreement, which is binding to the other landowners.”
After this agreement was reached, Tameside Council’s new executive leader, Cllr Eleanor Wills, said: “Our initial discussions about putting an exclusivity agreement in place with MADE Partnership are incredibly exciting.
“MADE Partnership is a unique organisation with the vision and expertise that could significantly contribute to our end goal, which is the successful delivery of a sustainable, well-designed place that will benefit the new and existing communities.”
Stephen Kinsella, board member for MADE Partnership, added: “Godley Green Garden Village is a development of regional significance and MADE Partnership is really excited to be working with Tameside Council to deliver its ambitious vision for the site.
“This is the first MADE Partnership deal to be announced and as master developers for the project we look forward to partnering with the council on a long-term basis to build a desirable new community at Godley Green where people can be proud to live, work and relax.”