Purpose

Subject to a subsequent decision to be made by
Council to approve, in principle, the making of a joint development
plan document with the other 9 Greater Manchester councils (Bolton,
Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford
and Wigan), to cover planning for minerals and waste across Greater
Manchester, Cabinet to delegate to AGMA Executive Board the
formulating and preparing of the joint development plan document to
cover planning for minerals and waste across Greater Manchester
insofar as such matters are executive functions (including agreeing
a timetable for the preparation of the plan).

Content

The Cabinet considered
a report of the Director of Economy and Place, which sought
approval to delegate to the Association of Greater Manchester
Authorities (AGMA) Executive Board the preparation of a joint
development plan document to cover planning for minerals and waste
across Greater Manchester.
 
The Principal Planning
Officer (Climate Resilience) was in
attendance to present the information and to address the
questions and the comments of the Cabinet Members.
 
The Officer informed
that Greater Manchester leaders at the Association of Greater
Manchester Authorities (AGMA) Executive Board meeting on 28th March
2025 had agreed to the production of a statutory Greater Manchester
Joint Minerals and Waste Plan (GMJMWP) for the region.
 
The existing Greater
Manchester Minerals and Waste Plans required updating in full, as
they had been adopted over a decade ago.
Their replacement with a single, joint minerals and waste plan
would ensure efficient compliance with national planning
policy.
 
The Officer continued
informing that, on 16th July 2025, a Full Council
decision would be required to agree to the principle of the making
of a joint development plan document with the other nine Greater
Manchester councils (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Salford,
Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan), to cover planning for
minerals and waste across Greater Manchester.
 
The Officer also
informed that there would be further reports to Full Council in
respect of, matters, which were within its remit, including
adoption of the joint development plan document.
 
Resolved:
That subject to Full
Council of 16th July 2025 approving, in principle, to
the making of a joint development plan document with the other nine
Greater Manchester councils (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham,
Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan), to cover
planning for minerals and waste across Greater Manchester -
1.   
That authority be delegated to AGMA Executive Board to formulate
and to prepare the joint development plan document to cover
planning for minerals and waste across Greater Manchester insofar
as such matters are executive functions;
2.   
That it be noted that the following are the sole responsibility of
Full Council:

a.   
Responsibility for giving of instructions to the executive to
reconsider the draft plan submitted by the executive for the
authority’s consideration;

b.   
The amendment of the draft joint development plan document
submitted by the executive for the Council’s
consideration;

c.   
The approval of the joint development plan document for the
purposes of submission to the Secretary of State for independent
examination;

d.   
The adoption of the joint development plan document.
3.   
That it be noted that the following recommendations would be for
Full Council to consider at its meeting of 16th July
2025:

a)   
Agree to the principle of the making of a joint development plan
document with the other 9 Greater Manchester councils (Bolton,
Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford
and Wigan), to cover planning for minerals and waste across Greater
Manchester;

b)   
Note that Cabinet agreed, subject to the above decision, to
delegate the formulating and preparing of the draft joint
development plan document to AGMA Executive Board;

c)   
Note that there would be further reports to Full Council in respect
of, matters, which were within the remit of Full Council, including
adoption of the joint development plan document.
 
Reason for decision:
The existing Greater
Manchester Minerals and Waste Plans required updating in full
because they were out of date, having been adopted over a decade
ago. Planning for both minerals and waste at the same time, and
jointly across Greater Manchester, represented an efficient way to
deliver updates to the planning policy framework. There were
resource efficiencies (economy of scale) at each stage of plan
preparation and would mean that up-to-date minerals and waste
policies would be in place at the earliest possible time scale.
 
Alternatives
considered and rejected:
To produce two
separate joint plans, one for waste and one for minerals. This
approach would require more resources than a single, joint plan due
to duplication of work and could result in delay.
 
To produce a joint
Waste Plan and incorporate minerals policies into each
authority’s Local Plan. Some authorities were already advanced in preparing a Local Plan and
therefore could not incorporate minerals within their plan
timetable. Therefore some Greater
Manchester (GM) authorities would continue to have outdated
minerals policies, contrary to national policy.
 
Do not update the
current plans – ‘do nothing’ scenario. This
approach would be contrary to national policy and legislation and
risks unplanned proposals coming forward and securing approval
(including approval following appeal).