Stockport Local Plan & SEMMMS Refresh - Civic Society Response to Stockport MBC Consultations

Marple Civic Society's response to the Stockport MBC consultations on the draft Local Plan & SEMMMS refresh can be viewed HERE

The closing date for responses is 8th October 2017, so there is still time to                               send individual responses.  Please feel free to use the Civic Society response                         to inform your response if you wish.

Summary of Response
Taken together, the draft Local Plan Issues and Options and SEMMMS consultations:

1. Land-use planning and transport planning are fundamentally linked but the papers do not explain how these two issues can or will be progressed together. We think they should have been presented as one paper, not as separate consultations. This is essential if we want to plan successful, balanced communities in Stockport and to create inclusive places with a good quality of life.
   
   
2. The SEMMMS paper does not acknowledge that from 2001-17 the only substantive SEMMMS delivery has been road schemes (new roads, plus some limited bus priority improvements); there has been almost no delivery of alternative schemes. More important than a wish-list of schemes is the creation of a clear delivery mechanism for all modes of transport, particularly public transport and cycling, not just the new road element.
   
   
3. A much more thorough approach to the District Centres as shopping and service centres should be taken and their ‘health’ examined more carefully. Attention should be paid to the quality of public realm and the need to ensure traffic does not dominate communities.
   
   
4. The role of Neighbourhood Plans is ignored – these are a part of the statutory planning system and several plans are in active preparation.
   
   
5. There is not enough concern with housing quality, and no real discussion about density. Target numbers appear to dominate thinking. High density is fully compatible with high quality – there is ample evidence that ‘compact city’ development in northern Europe creates better housing and better environments than we do in Stockport.
   
   
6. Employment should be better linked with housing, and be less Stockport-centric
   
   
7. Green Belt development should be a last resort, and the focus for new housing should be on existing urban areas
   
   
8. Green Infrastructure should be an integral part of new developments