Stockport Needs Homes, Not More Delays - Navendu Mishra MP & Cllr Rachel Wise

Stockport urgently needs an adopted Local Plan.

The Government has once again given Stockport Council additional time to bring one forward, but residents are entitled to ask why our borough remains without a plan when housing need continues to grow. Nearly 10,000 households are currently waiting for social housing, while rising house prices and private rents are making it harder than ever for local people to find an affordable home.

Stockport is a fantastic place to live and work, but this success brings responsibilities for our town. We need a clear strategy to deliver the homes people need, alongside the infrastructure and public services that support thriving communities.

For too long, politics has too often got in the way of proper planning. While some parts of the borough have seen significant levels of development, opposition to housing growth elsewhere has delayed decisions and prevented a balanced approach to meeting housing need across Stockport. The consequence is that families remain on waiting lists, young people are priced out of their communities and the borough lacks the certainty that an adopted Local Plan would provide.

Residents will also be concerned by the growing cost of unsuccessful planning-related legal challenges. Following the overturning of the Council’s refusals of the Mirrlees Fields scheme in 2024 and the Gatley Golf Club scheme in 2025, taxpayers faced substantial legal costs, and the Council has now been ordered to pay £28,000 after its unsuccessful challenge relating to Woodford Garden Village.

At a time when the Council continues to warn about financial pressures, residents are right to question whether these costly legal battles represent the best use of public money. Every pound spent on unsuccessful litigation is a pound that cannot be spent on local services or supporting vulnerable residents.

Stockport needs a Council focused on delivery, not delay. That means working constructively to provide the homes people need, increasing affordable and social housing, and ensuring growth is shared fairly across the borough.

The additional time provided by Government must now be used to bring forward a robust Local Plan that addresses Stockport's housing crisis, protects taxpayers and provides certainty for residents, communities and businesses alike.

Navendu Mishra MP

Member of Parliament for Stockport

Councillor Rachel Wise

Leader of the Labour Group, Stockport Council

Read my letter to the Leader of Stockport Council below: