Bury residents fury as green belt land earmarked for 403-home estate

Local residents have expressed fierce opposition to a newly submitted planning application that would transform nearly 43 hectares of countryside into a massive residential estate, as detailed in an Express report on the developing local controversy.

The proposed development at the edge of Unsworth in Bury consists of 403 properties, including houses, bungalows, and flats. According to the planning application submitted to Bury Council, the scheme is split into two distinct phases. Full planning permission is requested for 283 properties occupying roughly three-quarters of the site, while outline permission is sought for the remaining 120 homes. Documents indicate that about 100 of the proposed dwellings would be classed as affordable, divided between affordable rent and discounted purchase options.

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Local opposition has flooded social media platforms like Facebook. Residents have voiced deep concern over the loss of wildlife, declining air quality, and the diminishing availability of green spaces. One local objector, Harvie Gemmell, wrote on social media that the scheme should not go ahead in order to save Bury, while another user urged voters to reconsider supporting the local political leadership. The Labour Party holds a majority of 51 seats on Bury Council, maintaining control following the local elections, with Eamonn O'Brien serving as council leader.

Wain Homes defended the application by pointing out that the land forms part of the Northern Gateway area. This broader zone has been allocated for housing and industrial development via the Places for Everyone plan, a regional strategy that has seen significant amounts of countryside removed from the green belt to facilitate construction.

The local backlash arrives amid a broader national debate over planning reforms and regional development targets. National analysis from consultancy firm Planning By Design, highlighted by Yahoo News, examined housing delivery figures and green belt capacity across more than 300 English councils to identify key regional battlegrounds for upcoming construction.

Ministers revised the planning policy framework to permit green belt development in exceptional circumstances to bolster economic growth and address unmet housing need. Housing minister Matthew Pennycook stated that the government wants to see new homes built to get development into the right places. These projects are subject to golden rules, including high rates of affordable housing and the provision of new green spaces.

The changes support Labour's wider drive to deliver 1.5 million new homes by 2030 at a rate of 300,000 new builds annually. However, property agent Savills projects that only around 840,000 homes will be under construction by mid-2029. Housing secretary Angela Rayner acknowledged earlier in the year that meeting the target remains a really difficult challenge.

The national strategy has drawn criticism from preservation groups. Campaign to Protect Rural England chief planner Jackie Copley argued that building on the green belt in expensive areas will fail to resolve the affordability crisis, asserting that such developments rarely feature genuinely affordable or social rent homes. An MHCLG spokesperson countered that building more homes where they are least affordable is vital, and maintained that limited green belt developments must deliver enhanced infrastructure, additional affordable housing, and improved green spaces.

As the debate intensifies, local stakeholders and residents await formal evaluation of the application by Bury Council, where full details of the outline phase will be scrutinized at a later date.