On Friday 4 November 2011 the Greater Manchester authorities received the Binding Report from the Planning Inspectorate.

The Inspector, Mr Andrew Mead, has found the Waste Plan to be sound. The Inspector considers that it satisfies the requirements of Section 20(5) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, and the associated Regulations, and meets the tests of soundness set out in Planning Policy Statement 12: Local Spatial Planning. 

The report is available here.

The Binding Report will be available to view at public libraries and Main Council Offices across Greater Manchester during their normal opening hours (details of the opening times are available here ).

The Waste Plan will be formally adopted by each of the ten Greater Manchester authorities, through approval by each Full Council, by the end of March 2012.

The Waste Plan will then come in to force from 1 April 2012.

Once adopted, the Waste Plan will form part of the statutory Development Plan for each authority and will be used alongside district-specific planning documents for the purpose of determining planning applications. 

If you require more information, please contact the Minerals and Waste Planning Unit on