Key Points
- Bolton is set to collaborate with Greater Manchester’s nine other councils on a new, unified Minerals and Waste Plan, replacing documents that are now over a decade old.
- The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities' (AGMA) Executive Board agreed in March 2025 to produce a statutory joint plan for the entire region.
- The new plan aims to ensure up-to-date compliance with national planning policy on minerals extraction and waste management, aiding sustainable growth and housing delivery.
- Each of the ten councils must individually endorse participation; Bolton Council is among those preparing for formal approval.
- The plan will include policies supporting waste reduction, recycling, and sustainable mineral extraction, and will identify locations for waste facilities and minerals operations.
- An Integrated Assessment and Equalities Impact Assessment will be included at each stage of plan-making to ensure statutory compliance and equality considerations.
- A new timetable and public consultation process is expected to commence after government regulations for plan-making are published in autumn 2025.
- The preparation of the joint plan is led by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) team, with officer support from each council.
- The old plans are no longer effective due to numerous national policy and legislative changes, including environmental and climate guidance, since their adoption in 2012 and 2013.
- Financial and resource efficiencies are expected from joint planning, compared with maintaining separate plans.
- The Minerals and Waste Plan is considered vital for progressing Greater Manchester’s economic growth ambitions while complying with environmental policy requirements.
Bolton is poised to solidify its place within a landmark partnership, joining forces with the other nine Greater Manchester councils to overhaul and unify local policy concerning minerals extraction and waste management. As the region’s old plans face growing irrelevance and legal vulnerability, a new, region-wide approach promises strategic clarity and compliance in the years ahead.
Why is Bolton Integrating with Greater Manchester for a New Minerals and Waste Plan?
As reported by Trafford Council’s official report, compiled by Stephen James (Head of Growth, Communities and Housing) and Caroline Wright (Strategic Planning and Growth Manager), the existing Minerals and Waste Plans for Greater Manchester, including Bolton,
“require updating in full because they are out of date having been adopted over a decade ago.”
The current documents, adopted in 2012 and 2013, have proven inadequate in the face of evolving national policy, legislative reforms, and environmental priorities.
AGMA’s Executive Board’s March 2025 decision marks a collective move toward a single, statutory plan, ensuring a co-ordinated and future-ready approach for all ten authorities—Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, and Wigan.
What Will Change with the New Plan?
According to the Trafford Council report, the consolidated Greater Manchester Joint Minerals and Waste Plan will:
- Set regional policy for minerals extraction, ensuring a steady supply to support economic growth and accelerated housing development.
- Guide operators and the public regarding possible sites for future mineral extraction and safeguard valuable resources from inappropriate development.
- Include modern policy for waste reduction, recycling, disposal, and the identification of suitable sites for new or expanded waste treatment facilities.
- Implement statutory assessments—including an Integrated Assessment at every plan-making stage and an Equalities Impact Assessment—ensuring sustainability and attention to equality.
- Provide a framework that supports Greater Manchester’s environmental and climate ambitions, adapting to policy changes since the last adoption.
As summarised by the Bolton Development Plan’s guidance, these updates will work in tandem with other major planning documents, such as the “Places for Everyone” plan, thereby affecting local designations and helping factor in long-term growth and land allocation decisions for Bolton.
How Will Bolton’s Participation Be Formalised?
As detailed in Bolton Council’s published documentation, the Council must formally approve participation in the regional plan. The cabinet and full council will endorse recommendations before delegating the preparation phase to the AGMA Executive Board. Each council must ensure officer support at the GMCA level, as required, to manage the scale and complexity of the plan, according to Trafford Council's report.
Support staff and planning experts from all councils—including Bolton—will play an active role in delivering the plan according to timelines fixed by future government regulations.
What Are the Expected Benefits of a Regional Approach?
In the words of Trafford Council’s executive report, “Preparing the Minerals and Waste Plan jointly across GM will provide resource efficiencies (economy of scale) at each stage of plan preparation and will mean that up-to-date minerals and waste policies will be in place in the earliest possible time scale. This will be done within existing financial budgets.”
The joint plan will also deliver:
- Timely compliance with national statutory obligations, reducing risk of challenge against out-of-date policies.
- Effective delivery of housing, infrastructure, and sustainable growth in the region, responding efficiently to environmental and climate crises.
- A co-ordinated framework to manage all types of waste, including hazardous, construction, and industrial waste, while facilitating opportunities for new facilities and economic development.
- Consistent, up-to-date guidance to support planning decisions across Greater Manchester’s local authorities.
What Consultations and Assessments Will the Process Involve?
As outlined by Stephen James and Caroline Wright for Trafford Council, every stage will be backed by a Sustainability Appraisal and an Integrated Assessment, which includes Equalities Impact Assessments and public involvement. This is reinforced by Manchester City Council’s policy frameworks, highlighting the importance of technology and ethical planning in supporting new waste management solutions across the city-region.
Bolton, like other authorities, will rely on robust community engagement and statutory consultations, in line with evolving government rules. As stated by Oldham Council’s full council report, further reports will be submitted to each individual council as the process evolves, especially at adoption.
What Is the Timetable and Next Steps?
The plan-making process is expected to follow new national regulations anticipated in autumn 2025:
- The government will publish the final plan-making framework, which will then trigger a region-wide timetable for formal consultation, drafting, and eventual adoption of the new Minerals and Waste Plan.
- Based on the government’s “plan-making consultation” outcome in February 2025, statutory timetables will target plan adoption within 30 months of initiation and include at least two formal public consultations.
- A new “gateway” system of regular progress and compliance assessments will be introduced, ensuring all 10 councils—including Bolton—are aligned and on track throughout the drafting period.
What If the Joint Plan Is Not Adopted?
Alternative options considered by Trafford, Bolton, and other councils include producing two separate joint plans (one for waste, one for minerals), or leaving minerals planning to individual Local Plans. However, both routes have been deemed less efficient, riskier, and could leave some authorities with outdated and weaker policies.
As noted by Bury Council’s decision documents:
“To produce a joint Waste Plan and incorporate minerals policies into each authority's Local Plan… Some authorities are already advanced in their own Local Plans and therefore cannot incorporate minerals within their timetable”—making the regional joint approach the favoured option.
Will There Be Changes to Local Land Designations in Bolton?
Following the wider adoption of other key development plans, Bolton’s local Policies Map will see updates, particularly in areas re-designated for employment or new Green Belt designations. The integrated strategy ensures that all minerals and waste allocation decisions will be visible on public maps and subject to statutory process.
Revisions related to “Places for Everyone” and the new minerals and waste plan may result in significant changes to land use thinking throughout Bolton, further embedding the region’s new growth and sustainability priorities.
By moving forward with a single, unified Minerals and Waste Plan, Bolton is set to secure a vital seat at the table of Greater Manchester’s transformation—guiding responsible resource management, facilitating sustainable growth, and ensuring legal and policy compliance in a rapidly evolving landscape, as reported across the official documents of Trafford Council, Bolton Council, and other Greater Manchester authorities.