Campaigners and borough leaders have welcomed the news that a huge controversial housing development in Bury is set to be scrapped.

The council will ask planning inspectors to withdraw plans for 1,250 homes on green belt land in Walshaw as part of the Greater Manchester Places for Everyone housing and development masterplan.

A report, to be presented to the council’s cabinet this week, says housing need over the next 15 years is around 1,000 higher than previously thought, due to regeneration plans in Bury and Radcliffe.

The council says this regeneration provides more opportunity to build on urban brownfield sites, rather than green belt land.

READ MORE: Plans to build 1,250 homes on green belt land in Bury to be scrapped.

Two other sites, in Elton Reservoir and Simister/Bowlee, will remain part of Places for Everyone.

The council argue the 158-acre area in Walshaw "is the most suitable to be removed as new housing on that site would not deliver the same strategic benefits as the other two".

Cllr Charlotte Morris, a Labour ward member for Elton, who helped launch a campaign to take Walshaw out of Places for Everyone backs the move.

She said: “We’re delighted that the council has listened to our campaign to Take Walshaw Out and updated its position ahead of the public examination of the Places for Everyone later this year.

“Labour in Bury has always supported a Brownfield First policy – building the homes our communities need in sustainable locations on previously developed land near to public transport links.

“Now it’s over to the government planning inspectors who will take the final decision.”

Cllr Morris along with Cllr Martin Hayes and James Frith, former Bury North MP, who will stand for his position at the next general election, launched the campaign in December 2021 when “it became clear that - through the Bury Town Centre Masterplan - the council could allocate more homes on brownfield land than had previously been evidenced".

Mr Frith said: “Until the government starts listening to communities rather than its property developer donors, local councils will always have to meet sky high housing targets.

“In the meantime, Labour locally here in Bury will continue to campaign for our communities and deliver on its promise of building on Brownfield first.”

Bury North MP James Daly similarly praised the decision to scrap Walshaw Places for Everyone but accused Labour of taking credit for the work of Conservatives and local campaign groups.

Mr Daly said: “It is truly staggering hypocrisy for Labour councillors to be trying to claim praise for the removal of Walshaw from their own destructive plan.

“A plan to concrete over swathes of our greenbelt that they themselves voted in favour of just one year ago.

"That said, it is good to see that the Labour council have finally listened to the arguments that local Conservatives and brilliant local campaign groups have been making for the past six years; that it is wrong and unnecessary to destroy our precious greenbelt at Walshaw.”

In response to Mr Daly's claims, council leader Cllr Eamonn O’Brien called the MP, “opportunistic”.

He said: “The hypocrisy, as always, is with James Daly and the Conservatives.

"Their manifesto and government dictate the housing figures putting this pressure on the greenbelt, then they try to fool local people by claiming it is nothing to do with them.

“They do the same about the impact of 12 years of cuts to the council, schools, NHS and the police; they blame others but have consistently championed this disastrous approach to public services.

“We are the one doing the hard work to make changes, rather than more empty words and broken promises from opportunistic politicians like James Daly.”

Bury Folk Keep It Green, have campaigned extensively against the development, and continue to oppose plans to build in Elton and Simister. 

Cabinet members will vote on the proposal to withdraw Walshaw from Places for Everyone at a meeting this evening, Wednesday, September 7.