Greater Manchester’s £1bn Growth Plan Sparks Fears of Increasing Gridlock

A new £1bn investment programme aimed at delivering more than 30 major developments across Greater Manchester has prompted concerns that the region’s already congested roads could become overwhelmed.

The fund, announced earlier today by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, will support 31 projects spanning all ten boroughs, including thousands of new homes, expanded retail and warehouse space, and new sporting facilities.

However, callers to BBC Radio Manchester warned that the scale of development risks worsening what many already describe as “gridlocked” roads.

Paul, a listener from High Lane in Stockport, challenged the mayor over the potential impact of the proposals. “New developments sound well and good, but what about the knock-on effect on the already full, grid-locked roads?” he asked. “It’s not just the centre, but the outskirts where I am in High Lane – it’s a nightmare. Doing all these new developments is adding to an already bad problem.”

Mr Burnham acknowledged that Greater Manchester’s highways network is under increasing strain, admitting that the road system is “close to seizing up”. He said the growth plan includes investments in local infrastructure and public transport, such as new tram links to Stockport and a rail connection to Denton.

Funding will also support key transport schemes, including transforming Bury Interchange into an integrated hub for buses, trams and active travel.

Even so, the mayor argued that the biggest obstacle to managing future growth is the lack of sustained national investment in major infrastructure.

“The single biggest risk to our growth in Greater Manchester is the lack of a commitment from the UK government to the big infrastructure that the North West needs,” he said.

“I’m talking about rail lines, but also our congested motorways, like the M6 and M62. Our infrastructure is creaking. If nothing is done, that becomes an anti-growth policy, because people will say you can’t invest here if you can’t get around.”

Mr Burnham pointed to the integration of eight rail lines into the Bee Network next year as an example of what can be done in the short term, but conceded that without larger-scale national projects, Greater Manchester risks reaching a breaking point. “Some would say it’s close to that already,” he added.