Andrew Gwynne MP has blasted a developer for attempting to overturn a decision that stops it from extending an industrial estate into ‘precious’ green belt.
Quorum’s proposal to expand Bredbury Industrial Estate into the Tame Valley was rejected by Stockport council last year, on grounds it had not proven ‘very special circumstances’ for building on protected land.
The firm had sought planning permission for a 93,000 sq metre logistics site near Stockport’s border with Tameside, including the widening of Bredbury Park Way and a new car park for the nearby sports village.
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It argued there was an ‘overwhelming need’ for large scale warehouses in the borough, and lodged an appeal in Autumn 2021.
A nine-day public inquiry has now got under way, with Quorum and Stockport council putting their respective cases to planning inspector David Rose.
Mr Gwynne, who has represented Denton and Reddish for the last 17 years, spoke passionately against overturning the decision, describing Quorum’s plans as ‘speculative and damaging’.
He said: “The Tame Valley is the crown jewel of my constituency. It is one of the few genuinely open recreational green spaces for local people.
“It was specifically developed to address an overwhelming lack of green space in the area and is of immense local importance.”
The MP - whose constituency straddles both Stockport and Tameside - said the valley was ‘rich in wildlife’ and well-used by locals taking ‘countryside strolls’.
“I wholeheartedly believe it is not, and should never become, a site for cynical and ultimately ill conceived development,” he added.
“I believe this proposal ignores the historical context of the Tame Valley, obliterates the openness of the area and further compounds issues around air quality and congestion.”
He continued: “I am only taking part because I genuinely believe, from the bottom of my heart, that this proposal would be a disaster for my community and for the Tame Valley. Not only now, but for future generations to come.”
Mr Gwynne added that in all his time as an MP, he had ‘never seen a planning proposal that would do this much damage to our beautiful and precious Tame Valley’.
“It’s wholly inappropriate and should be rejected in its entirety,” he said.
The council was represented by solicitor John Barrett.
In his opening statement Mr Barrett described the proposed development site as lying in a ‘rural landscape with a distinctive valley profile’.
And he said Quorum’s scheme was ‘a development of considerable scale’ that would ‘unquestionably’ harm the openness of the green belt.
He continued: “We accept there are other benefits associated with the scheme, including additional parking to support the nearby sports village and biodiversity net gain.
“However we find this not sufficient to outweigh the clear and demonstrable harm to the green belt and our conclusion is the reason for refusal expressed in the decision notice provides a compelling justification for the refusal of this appeal.”
Mr Barrett also argued that ‘strategic’ decisions around land use and employment sites should be addressed through Stockport’s emerging local plan - not through the planning appeal process.
This view was not accepted by Ruper Warren QC, representing Quorum. Mr Warren described the plan as a ‘major potential investment in the economy of Stockport’ which ‘seeks to meet the pressing need for logistics warehousing’.
And he told the inquiry it would bring hundreds of jobs to the deprived areas of Brinnington and Haughton Green, while also boosting local infrastructure.
“The proposed development would comprise a very substantial, very weighty package of benefits,” he said. “Those benefits would be specific to this area and the current, urgent needs for employment land, logistics floorspace and economic investment.”
He referred to a council report which noted a ‘a high level of ‘pent up demand for such units’ - the lack of which had ‘resulted in businesses being forced to relocate outside the Stockport area'.
“There is no evidence that alternative non-green belt sites are available to meet this need in Stockport or in the wider market area,” added Mr Warren.
While accepting there would be a considerable impact on the green belt, he said there was a ‘marked difference between the Tame River Valley itself and ‘the less sensitive land which is proposed to be used in part for the development’.
Mr Warren continued: “Overall the benefits of the proposals we say, Sir, would clearly outweigh the cumulative harms and consequently very special circumstances are present, justifying the use of land that is currently designated as green belt to come forward to meet the identified needs.”
He added: “Given the scale of the need and the state of plan-making in Stockport, this is an unsurprising outcome. Permission, Sir, should therefore be granted for the development.”
The inquiry is due to continue until Tuesday, February 15, although February 16 is held ‘in reserve’ in case a further day is needed.
The final decision is made by the secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities.
