Next week at both a meeting of the full Council and at Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett's Cabinet, the Salford Local Plan will be launched – which is a daunting 293 pages of 'development management policies' until 2037, plus two dozen other related documents guaranteed to send all those who dare read them to sleep.
The problem is that the document is only half a policy, as the main, most likely controversial publication, the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF), which sets out Green Belt designations and the scale of development that's going to be allowed in Salford, still hasn't been published due to endless delays and faffing around by its authors, who happen to be officers of Salford City Council.
So this 293-page thing doesn't contain much that people who are interested in such stuff don't already know, like planning changes that have already been announced (see here)...
"The vision of Salford City Council is to create a better and fairer Salford for all" the intro states "The purpose of this plan is to provide the policies for managing development, and the land use designations, that will help to deliver that vision..."
While the word 'fairer' crops up in virtually every chapter, the document is also like a catalogue of failure to date by Salford City Council, writ large in tables and statements about how 'unfair' the city actually is, despite promises and pledges going back generations from the Council.
"Despite recent high levels of investment, Salford has an above average level of resident unemployment, and some of the major concentrations of job opportunities are located immediately adjacent to neighbourhoods suffering from low household incomes and poor health" the document understates.
"Housing affordability in Salford is worsening and is a major challenge for many households" it adds "Housing costs can place significant pressures on household finances, particularly for those on low incomes or in insecure employment. Significantly increasing the supply of affordable housing is therefore a key priority, and a vital component of delivering a fairer Salford.
"In recent years, Salford has been very successful at attracting large levels of new residential development, but there has been widespread public concern about the low proportion of affordable homes that have been delivered in private sector developments and, in particular, the large number of schemes that have provided no affordable housing at all" it insists, echoing the broken record from the Salford Star over the last decade.
"Salford currently suffers from very significant health inequalities, and average health levels in the city are generally much worse than the national average" it sighs "Male life expectancy at birth for Salford residents is 2.5 years less than the UK average, and female life expectancy at birth is 2 years less...
"Males in Salford are expected to spend 75.3% of their lives in good health compared to 79.7% for the UK overall" it adds "Females in Salford are expected to spend 73% of their lives in good health compared to 77.1% for the UK overall. Average life expectancy in the city's most deprived areas is 10.9 years lower for men and 7.6 years lower for women than in its least deprived areas..."
And so it goes on, listing the mess that Salford is in – the tale of two cities that has seen huge development and no movement in poverty figures, except those diluted by moving richer people into poorer areas. A deliberate policy of the past that isn't flagged up in the 'fairer Salford' plan! (see previous Salford Star article – click here)
The Local Plan part one has ten aims...
1) To enable all residents to share in the benefits of economic growth
2) To support improvements in the average health of residents and reduce health inequalities
3) To enable more households to access suitable and affordable housing
4) To support regeneration and the efficient use of land
5) To enable the provision of facilities and services to support new developments and existing communities
6) To enhance the network of green infrastructure across Salford and protect important green space
7) To support a net gain in Salford's biodiversity
8) To minimise contributions to, and risks from, climate change
9) To significantly enhance accessibility and reduce congestion
10) To deliver high quality development that makes a positive contribution to the character, heritage and identity of Salford and its neighbourhoods.
Each heading and chapter has well meaning words about how this is all going to be done and the policies that will ensure it happens – but many Salfordians will be reading it, saying 'Haven't we heard all this before?'...
...And the Council's own statistics scream out about its absolute failure to make the city 'better and fairer' over the years.
To read the documents – click here and then click on the Local Plan agenda item
The consultation runs until 4.30pm on Friday 20th March – a few pages a day before bed should do it!
And comments can be made by email to plans.consultation@salford.gov.uk
Online using the comments form at: www.salford.gov.uk/publicationlocalplan
By post to: Publication Local Plan Spatial Planning Salford Civic Centre, Chorley Road Swinton, M27 5BYF.
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