Inside plans for a new ‘Garden Village’ near one of England’s greatest cities

Manchester is one of the UK’s best cities to live in – in fact, according to some it is the greatest spot in the country. And now a leafy new development on the outskirts of the city is about to make the place even more liveable. 

Godley Green Garden Village has been given the go-ahead by Greater Manchester’s Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council. The development, which is just a 30-minute train from the centre of town, will create a new neighbourhood for Mancunians who want a taste of country living while being within easy reach of the great northern city. 

Alongside 2,150 new homes, Godley Green Garden Village will have a new primary school, sports pitches, allotments, parks, natural greenspaces and play areas for kids. The plans also include two local community hubs with retail, leisure, healthcare and community facilities.

As for who the new neighbourhood will cater to, well, the developers say it’s for just about everybody. Councillor Eleanor Wills, leader of Tameside Council, said the garden village will work for ‘toddlers all the way up to their grandparents’, with homes designed for young couples, families, retirees and singletons.

Before you get excited and start googling the best way to put your current home on the market, we should say that the project is very much still in its initial phases. Tameside council and development firm MADE Partnership have been tasked with managing the construction of the garden village over the next 15 years, so you’ve got a while to wait til the plans come to life. 

Originally approved in November 2023, changes to the scheme meant it was put back before the council's planning panel in January, when the plans were, in fact, rejected. However, after tweaks to the proposal, approval was later granted on March 18, paving the way forward for the new community.

As for the next stage of progress, MADE Partnership aims to submit an infrastructure-related planning application this spring before an initial housebuilding application is presented shortly after.

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