The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)is made up of the ten Greater Manchester Councils and the Mayor of Greater Manchester. The GMCA has submitted a Joint Development Document (the Plan or DPD) to the SoS for examination on behalf of 9 of the 10 Councils. The SoS appointed an Inspector to examine the Plan. The Inspector recommended adoption of the Plan. In SAVE GREATER MANCHESTER GREEN BELT LTD v Sos for HCLG and GMCA the Claimants, who opposed the development of housing on green belt land, applied for statutory review of the adoption .The Court addressed examination of DPDs (paras27-34), challenge to a DPD ( paras 35-43), policies in the NPPF in relation to Green Belt (paras 44-101), the Examination (paras 102-108), and the Inspector’s Report (paras 109-122). All 5 Grounds of challenge were dismissed : paras 10/11 and 123).

The Government has announced changes to the Environmental Permitting System.

The Environmental Agency will be empowered to consider, following consultation, which activities should be exempt from requiring an Environmental Permit.

In CG FRY & SON LTD v SoS for Housing, Communities and Local Government (2025) UKSC 35 the Supreme Court holds that where a development has a potential impact on a PROTECTED SITE under the CONSERVATION OF HABITATS AND SPECIES REGULATIONS 2017 ( and the HABITATS DIRECTIVE as “assimilated law” and its strict “ precautionary approach”), an appropriate Environmental IMPACT ASSESSMENT under Regulation 63 can be carried out at the stage of a Decision (1) to give reserved matters approval or (2) to discharge conditions attached to such an approval where that would result in an authorisation for the project to proceed, BUT LPAs cannot at later stages of the planning process that had been approved in principle at the outline stage. Lord Sales also addressed RAMSAR SITES, designated under the RAMSAR CONVENTION and Section 57A of the WILDLIFE AND COUNTRYSIDE ACT 1981, and protected pursuant to the NPPF.