Romiley Gazette Community Section

11th March 2026

Residents and local planners are watching closely as senior councillors prepare to decide on the future of two key community planning groups at Stockport Council’s Cabinet meeting on 17 March.

Agenda Item 13 on the Council agenda covers the redesignation of neighbourhood forums – community‑led bodies that allow local people to shape planning and development policies in their areas.

What Is a Neighbourhood Forum?

Under national planning rules, neighbourhood forums are community bodies formally recognised by the council and empowered to lead the preparation of neighbourhood plans. These plans sit alongside the borough‑wide local plan and give local residents a legal say in the future of housing, local services and development in their area.

Once designated, a neighbourhood forum can represent its area for five years, after which it must apply to be redesignated if it wishes to continue its work.

Which Forums Are Up for Redesignation?

The Cabinet report recommends redesignation for two community planning groups:

Woodford Neighbourhood Forum

This group has already achieved significant success in producing a neighbourhood plan that was adopted by the council in 2019. Their continued designation will allow the forum to remain the official voice for planning issues in Woodford.

Mellor, Marple Bridge, Mill Brow and Compstall Neighbourhood Forum

This forum covers a larger rural and semi‑rural area, with its neighbourhood plan currently in progress. Redesignation would keep them formally recognised while they continue that work.

Why This Matters

Redesignation may sound technical, but in practice it means ensuring local communities retain a seat at the table when planning decisions are made. For example:

  • A recognised forum can prepare or revise a neighbourhood plan to guide housing, green space, transport and local services.
  • Once adopted, these plans carry legal weight in planning decisions.
  • The forum is the official body the council must consult when planning issues arise in that area.

Without redesignation, these groups would lose their formal status and the ability to influence planning policy directly.

How Redesignation Works

The councils invited public feedback on these applications from early November to late December 2025, giving local people a chance to support or object to the forums continuing their work.

Council officers have reviewed the applications and feedback, and will now bring recommendations to the Cabinet.

If approved by Cabinet, final council ratification will allow the forums to continue for another five‑year period.

What This Means for Romiley

While Romiley itself does not currently have a neighbourhood forum in the same way, the process highlights the importance of community involvement in planning decisions across Stockport.

Neighbourhood forums give residents a platform to work with developers and the council to ensure development reflects local priorities – whether that’s protecting green space, guiding housing design or shaping transport improvements.

As the borough’s local plan continues to be updated and new housing and infrastructure proposals come forward, the role of locally elected and volunteer bodies like these will be increasingly important.