Parliament debated the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework this week and I used the opportunity to press for government to step up and work with Greater Manchester to resolve the plans fundamental problems.
Without movement and flexibility on the population estimates, which are widely accepted as being out of date and in no way reflective of the actual demand, the plan will be forced to take valuable Greenbelt land.
Even with a revised population forecast it is still the case that only viable sites which can reasonable expected to be delivered can be included. And so, without an adequate Brownfield fund in place we are not able to do what everyone I have spoken to want; to bring forward previously used sites for redevelopment.
I would go further and reallocate current commercial land, where it is evident the use is not in keeping with its surroundings and allocate this for future housing. There are many sites like this across Oldham West and Royton which are adjacent to residential areas and are really underused.
I have always supported the principle of a single plan for Greater Manchester, it allows boroughs to offset housing requirement through growth in the city centre, and Salford extension to that, and to have a joined-up plan to allow proper planning, particularly in future transport investment.
But critically it must be a plan which has been co-produced with local people and not done too them. There is some way to go to have a plan local people can get behind. As it stands the GMSF and the allocation of sites in Oldham West and Royton is not something I have been able to support. It was for this reason I felt obliged to object to site allocations in the 2016 and 2019 consultations, and why I have spoken in parliament so many times on the issue.
You can read more about the submissions I have made on my website here.
Jim McMahon OBE MP 
22nd March 2020
Dear MPs for Oldham
As your constituent,I am writing to you regarding the Government’s recent commitment to combat the corona virus and bill that is set to be passed in parliament next week on Tuesday 24 March 2020.
I would like to express my concern regarding the impact that this legislation may have on minority communities. Whilst we are living in unprecedented times, I ask you to urge the Government not to neglect their responsibilities in upholding Article 9 of both the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998, which protects the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. This includes the freedom to manifest one’s religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice, and observance.
Many aspects of the proposed measures contained in corona virus Bill 2019/20 are important in this emergency as a result of this Corona virus outbreak, and are widely supported.
However, there is one measure or power that I am very concerned about, which is contained in Clause 56 Schedule 27 of the corona virus bill which will allow designated local authorities to disregard section 46(3) of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, which is designed to prevent a local authority from being able to cremate a body against the wishes of the deceased.
In the 73 pages of the explanatory notes are the summary of all the measures and on page 54 paragraph 442 it says:
“Personal choice for body disposal will be respected as far as possible, however, only where there is no suitable alternative (for example if safe storage limits were likely to be breached and out of area alternatives were not available), the power to direct may be used to direct whether a body is buried or cremated. In this respect it has been necessary to disapply section 46(3) of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 which prohibits cremation against the wishes of the deceased. Similar provisions are disapplied in Northern Ireland. Scotland’s legislation only requires due regard to be had to the deceased’s wishes so no equivalent dis-application is needed.”
The sanctity of the dead body and the importance of religious burial is an integral component of religious practice for Muslims, as well as Jews. Cremation is forbidden in Islam and Judaism and, therefore, the possibility of forcing a cremation upon the loved ones of these communities would add further anguish and trauma to bereaved families, who themselves may be in self-isolation.��With this Bill due to have its second reading in the House of Commons on Monday 23rd March, I ask you as my political representative to work to amend the Bill as it currently stands, in order to reflect the UK’s commitments to human rights and to protect communities from the compounded grief of, not only potentially losing loved ones, but having the religious beliefs of these loved ones dismissed.��Thank you for your time and I look forward to your response on this matter.��Yours Faithfully Marwa Maryam Ferdous bint Noor
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