The new planning proposals will be a developers charter. The planning regulations as they stand can and are being manipulated to disempower at a neighbourhood level. The GMSF has been used by Rochdale council to bulldoze through proposals which have nothing to do with the principles of the GMSF but everything to do with increasing council tax and new homes bonus take by building on precious and protected green belt land. This is evident in the wholesale loss of green belt which is protected for a purpose, such areas are the lungs of the borough for all and once gone are gone forever. It is not necessary when so much brown field is available. Nowhere is the financial motive mentioned in any of the GMSF papers for any of the green belt site proposals. This is typical of the smoke and mirrors which characterises the whole process, the GMSF is a huge exercise in deception and misinformation with regard to the potential green belt loss. The lack of transparency and authoritarian imposition of decisions undemocratically decided will only get worse with the new bill.

The mobilization of citizens is strategic for local and global development. Reconquest of the common good shared and planned together in all places in Europe is a key point of democracy

I am very worried that projects can take place more easily if the land is not green belt. Some areas may have become far more green over the years and this will not be taken into consideration. We really need to conserve the wild spaces that we have.

It’s appalling that democracy is being eroded but by bit and this is another worrying example of it