Assessment of proposed Green Belt releases in Stockport Local Plan

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council is in the process of preparing a new Local Plan. Setting out the Council’s approach to meeting future development requirements, the Plan proposes the release of a number of sites from the Green Belt to help meet identified housing and development needs.

This report assesses the planning implications of these proposed Green Belt releases, with particular focus on their potential impacts on the function, character and openness of the Stockport Green Belt. The assessment considers factors including existing site characteristics, previous land use, landscape and ecological constraints, agricultural land quality, community value, and the extent to which each site aligns with the Government’s approach to grey belt development.

The sites assessed within this report are taken from Appendix A, Details of proposed housing allocations on sites outside of the existing built-up area within Stockport Local Plan: Addressing our development needs (October 2025). These sites form the list of proposed Green Belt release sites assessed throughout this report.