The Greater Manchester mayor says he did not ask for these new powers and, privately, council sources doubt that he will use them. However, the government has now confirmed that it plans to empower all mayors to 'call in' planning applications.
It comes after changes to the planning system were unveiled, sparking fears that local councillors will have less of a say over what gets built. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has vowed that the reforms will not remove local democratic power from councils.
But under the new English Devolution White Paper which she unveiled on Monday, decisions by local planning committees could be overturned by the mayor if he disagrees with them.
The planning reforms announced earlier in December also give planning officers the power to bypass local councillors and approve plans that comply with locally-agreed development plans. Ultimately, the government hopes these changes will speed up the planning process and help build the 1.5m homes Labour promised.
In an effort to meet those targets, the government has also introduced new local targets for housebuilding which some critics warn could mean more green belt land will have to be built on.
However, the new targets will not apply to most of Greater Manchester.
That's because nine of the 10 councils in the city region have signed up to a joint plan which sets out where 165,000 new homes will be built across Greater Manchester over the next 15 years. The Places for Everyone plan, which replaced the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework when Stockport pulled out in late 2020, was formally approved this year, but now faces a High Court challenge.
Speaking to the M.E.N. after the planning reforms were announced, Mr Burnham said that Greater Manchester is in a 'stronger position' than other areas because of the plan which means that the government is less likely to intervene on local planning decisions.
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Denne historien er fra December 23, 2024-utgaven av Manchester Evening News.
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'We must show personality and character'
LISANDRO Martinez has warned United’s players must show ‘personality and character’ in the coming weeks.
Any progress over the past few games has been brutally dismantled...
SEVERAL United supporters headed for the exit in the 64th minute after the ball zipped past Andre Onana for a third time. They had seen this before - just over a year ago.
'Inevitable ending' for Rashford's time at Reds
SKY Sports pundit and former United defender Gary Neville believes Marcus Rashford’s time at the club has an ‘inevitable ending’ after the forward was left out of Ruben Amorim’s matchday squad for a third consecutive game.
LEAKY ROOF INTERRUPTS AMORIM'S PRESS CALL
RUBEN Amorim's post-match press conference was interrupted by a leak in the ceiling yesterday.
WE DESERVE MORE FROM GAMES - MARTINEZ
LISANDRO Martinez believes United are ‘playing well’ and deserve more for their performances with Ruben Amorim in charge.
Boss refuses to blame United's set-piece coach
RUBEN Amorim admitted that United became nervous against Bournemouth from the moment they conceded a set-piece – and that the anxiety came from the stands as well as from the players.
'Everybody is so anxious, everyone in the club is tired of these moments'
RUBEN Amorim felt United were anxious from the first minute of their humbling by Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
City's 'low confidence' key for Villa
ASTON Villa manager Unai Emery has admitted his side felt they could take advantage of City’s lack of confidence during their 2-1 win over Pep Guardiola’s side on Saturday.
'We are not solid on the ball, we are not creating much and that defines the team at this moment'
CITY'S woeful run of form continued as the Blues slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime.
FURY DECISION IS JUST 'NUTS'
PROMOTER Frank Warren was quick to express his dismay following Tyson Fury’s unanimous points loss to world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh, describing the scoring as ‘nuts’.
