Can you imagine living close to nature, in a brand new home, powered by the latest in green technology and with excellent transport links to Manchester city centre? It sounds too good to be true. However, for the last seven years, town planners in Tameside, Greater Manchester, have been working on exactly this utopian dream. Godley Green Garden Village, it is proposed, will be an innovative development of over 2000 new homes near the towns of Hyde and Hattersley, with fast rail links to the city centre. This is not just another housing estate, we are promised that it “will be an exemplar 21st century Garden Village, capturing the best of local town and country whilst seamlessly integrating into its rural landscape”. This all sounds great, but where is it?

The Garden City Movement

Victorian urban planner and egalitarian thinker, Ebenezer Howard, created the Garden City Movement in 1898. He believed that people could live harmoniously in new communities that combined the best of both town and country living, without the negative aspects of either. Instead of living in overcrowded, polluted places in the city, there was an alternative. There would be gardens for every home and space to relax, when work was over. The Garden City Movement was born out of a desire to make life better and fairer for ordinary people and it was to change the face of town planning, not only in the UK, but globally. 

Letchworth, the first Garden City, and Welwyn Garden City were huge, ambitious projects built in rural areas, near London. Crucial to the success of the projects were excellent rail links to the city which meant that the inhabitants could experience the benefits of clean air and nature but also easily reach jobs in the city. Similarly, the planners of Godley Green Garden Village, promise “a new sustainable garden settlement of beauty and great design that sensitively evolves around existing communities and landscape.” The two original garden cities were an instant success and remain very desirable places to live, with their attractive green spaces and well designed architecture. Even though Welwyn Garden City was built originally without a single pub!

The Green Belt Issue

Not everyone is enthusiastic about having a new building project on their doorstep, particularly on land that is a designated greenfield site. However, Tameside Council have identified that the existing brownfield land available, cannot meet its requirement for housing needs in the future. The Godley Green development, which actually includes large green spaces within the masterplan, is in line with Ebenezer Howard’s original principles. Manchester is experiencing a huge growth in jobs and population so new, quality homes are needed. Manchester is also home to Veritas Surveying Limited, construction quantity surveying experts in a range of sectors.

Green Light

Despite getting the green light for this planning application from the Secretary of State last November, work has still not begun. Tameside Council are still waiting for a developer partner from the private sector to step in. By April 2024, it’s difficult not to feel a sense of the vision fading. Councillor Gerald Cooney stated “plans for Godley Green will move ahead to provide much-needed homes for generations to come.This is a pioneering development right here in Tameside that has wide ranging benefits for the whole borough.” 

Let’s hope he’s right.