Frequently
asked questions
We’ve compiled a comprehensive list of common questions and answers about the Godley Green development. This list will be reviewed and updated on a regular basis.
What is a Garden Village
A Garden Village is a derivation of Ebenezer Howard's century-old concept of a Garden
City (Letchworth Garden City, Welwyn Garden City, Hampstead Garden Suburb, Brentham), a standalone settlement that fuses the best of town and country to foster rounded, healthy lives for its residents. As a 21st century Garden Village, Godley Green will align lessons learnt from other schemes with contemporary values and its distinctive location and setting.
Although there is no set model for a garden village they should be designed based on the following criteria:
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Built to a high standard
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Attractive and well-designed
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Meet local housing needs in particular the needs of first-time buyers
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Developed as own separate space with community facilities
A Garden Village will do this by creating its own community infrastructure with good transport links, GPs and schools which in turn will help to create new jobs and boost the local economy.
Where is Godley Green?
Godley Green is located between Hyde to the west, the rail line and Hattersley to the east, Gee Cross to the South West and the A560 Stockport Road to the South.
What is the current planning status of the site?
With the adoption of Places for Everyone in March 2024, the site was removed from the Green Belt and allocated for development under Policy JPA28 (Godley Green Garden Village).
The policy states the site should be developed using Garden village principles and include the following:
- Around 2,350 new homes across a range of types and tenures
- 2no. village centres to include a range of community, retail cultural and leisure uses to serve local needs
- Education contributions
- A multi-user bridge linking the site to Hattersley
The development of the site is, therefore, now a requirement of the statutory development plan for the area and makes up a very important part of the Council’s housing land supply.
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We thought that the proposals already had planning permission. Is this not the case?
No. The Council resolved that planning permission should be granted, on two occasions (November 2023 and October 2024), but it has not yet actually granted planning permission.
We are expecting to go back to Speakers Panel (planning committee) in November 2025 and a formal decision before the end of the year.
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What’s happened since the resolution to grant permission?
The Council and MADE have been working to test and evolve elements of the proposals to ensure that, when planning permission is granted, it consents a development that is genuinely deliverable and can be commenced quickly.
A considerable amount of additional technical work has been undertaken by MADE during the past 9 months, including work on matters such as earthworks / levels, drainage, ecology, trees, ground conditions, utilities, the composition and size of the village centres. The site layout has also been subject to rigorous testing.
We are now making minor amendments to the existing application to reflect the updated information collated.
Why are you having to make changes?
Three reasons:
a) because of the time that has passed since the application was submitted, some of the application materials have become out of date. It is important that the Council has up to date information to assess the proposals;
b) Minor amendments to the proposals are required to ensure that they effectively deliver important aspects of physical and social infrastructure including new road junctions and highway improvements, additional school places, sports provision, affordable housing and biodiversity gains.
c) The proposals are now properly market facing, will create an exemplar Garden Village the right mix of uses, make the most efficient use of the land and can be delivered at pace; and these minor changes necessitate updates to some of the existing planning application documents and assessments.
Will it all be Executive Homes?
No, there will be a mix of house types and tenures to cater for all needs and aspirations. The aim is to develop a mixed, healthy and balanced community.
Will we get a chance to comment on the changes?
Yes. When we submit the updated application materials to the Council in August 2025, the Local Planning Authority (LPA), which acting independently from the Council as applicant, will re-consult local people for a minimum of 30 days. During that period, you will be able to review what we’ve submitted and comment on it. The LPA is required to consider any comments made on the application when it makes its final decision.
What is being provided in terms of affordable housing?
We are continuing to propose that 15% of the homes delivered on this site are affordable (so up to 323 affordable homes).
Will it all be large, high value homes?
No, the development will provide a mix of housing types and tenures to create a diverse and inclusive community. This includes apartments and small houses for first-time buyers, family homes and homes for people who are retired.
Where will the access be to the site?
We are proposing 4 vehicle accesses off Mottram Old Road and a number of pedestrian and cycle accesses off Mottram Old Road and to the west and north.
How will you prevent vehicles from using Green Lane?
By controlling access into the development from Green Lane and by providing routes into and through the development that are substantially more attractive.
What about all the noise and dust from the development?
The construction of Godley Green Garden Village will take place over a number of years and will cause some disruption.
MADE and the Council will be working together through the life cycle of the development to ensure not only that it is of the highest possible quality, but that the development is carried out in the most considerate way possible.
In addition:
a) the planning permission will contain controls to ensure that the day-to-day impacts of the development are kept to acceptable levels – there will be Construction Management and Environmental Management Plans for the development prepared and agreed with the Council before development starts;
b) each housebuilder or contractor will have their own policies and procedures including those in respect of control measures designed to keep adverse effects to a minimum and around engagement with the existing community.
What will happen to the trees and hedgerows?
We will be retaining the majority of trees and hedgerows on site, some of which benefit from special protection. We will also be planting new trees and hedgerows, enhancing existing habitats and creating new ones to deliver net gains in terms of biodiversity.
What about ecology/ wildlife?
We have carried out and are continuing to carry out extensive surveys and assessments of the habitats and species on site, to ensure that they are fully recorded, understood and we can accurately plan for their management and mitigation of adverse impacts.
While we are not formally required to meet a specific biodiversity net gain target, our proposals will deliver at least a 10% increase in biodiversity-aligning with the Government’s requirements for applications submitted after February 2024. This means we are actively enhancing the site’s ecological value by creating richer, more diverse habitats for wildlife than currently exist.
What is being provided in terms of public open space?
Overall, we will be delivering about 43ha of publicly accessible open spaces. This will be delivered as a combination of natural greenspace, formal parks, amenity space, play spaces and non-pitch sport provision and allotments.
What happens when planning permission is granted?
We then need to do a number of other things before we can start putting in infrastructure and building homes.
These include:
a) obtaining further ‘Reserved Matters’ approval for the detailed design of the proposals (where roads and infrastructure go and what the roads look like, what the houses, local centre, public spaces, community facilities will look like and where, exactly, each will be placed etc). We anticipate MADE’s first Reserved Matters submissions will be made at the beginning of 2026;
b) getting detailed technical approvals for things like roads and sewers from the Local Highway Authority and water company; and
c) preparing the site for development and carrying out earthworks to create the platforms that housebuilders will then develop on.
We expect to be on site carrying out preparatory and infrastructure works in the second half of 2026 and to start work on the first homes in early 2027.
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How long is the development going to take to complete?
We are currently estimating around 15 years. The actual duration will depend on a number of factors including economic conditions.
Why are there people and cabins currently on site?
You may have noticed contractors and temporary cabins on the Godley Green site - this is because various technical surveys and investigations are being undertaken across the area.
These include:
• Topographical and ground investigations
• Ecological and tree surveys
• Geophysical and archaeological assessments
• Drainage and utilities work
This activity is essential to gather the information needed to progress the design and delivery of infrastructure and homes, and to meet the requirements of the planning process. These works are temporary and carefully managed in coordination with landowners and environmental protection measures.
Why have the Housing Need figures changed?
The figures have been amended due to a change in the length of the plan period.
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The GMSF plan period covered 17-years from 2020 to 2037 whereas the PFE plan covers a shorter 16- year period, as a result the housing requirement is 651 lower.
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To account for housing completions in 2020/21, a deduction has been made from the April 2020 land supply figures. Based on Tameside's target proposed for 2020/21 in the October 2020 Publication GMSF, the land supply is 281 lower.