Stockport would have to give up 'substantially more green belt' land to hit government housing targets, a senior councillor has said.

The Lib Dem-run council is moving ahead with its local plan with an aim of building at least 24,253 new homes up to 2042, with around 8,000 based in the town centre.

But the figure is short of the 32,317 homes which the borough has been assessed as needing.

Stockport Council has assessed the numbers of homes it can build and the draft local plan aims to provide as many as possible given the borough's wider constraints, including infrastructure.

Councillor Jake Austin, Stockport Council's cabinet member for housing, said ramping up housebuilding beyond its own draft local plan could lead to a massive loss of protected land.

Stockport council was previously preparing a local plan in 2024 but the work was hit with delays after the Labour government raised housebuilding targets.

Councillor Austin said government changes to housing requirements and its green belt policy 'continues to cause concern for residents across Stockport'.

He added: "The introduction of significantly higher housing requirements, changes to green belt policy, and the concept of grey belt have fundamentally changed the planning context for which this plan has been prepared over the last few years.

"But I can oppose those aspects of the national planning framework whilst still recognising our responsibilities as an administration and as a council to produce a local plan for Stockport within that framework.

"The evidence before us today shows that officers have worked hard to maximise brownfield opportunities, carefully assess constraints, minimise green belt release wherever possible, and take on board the comments and concerns raised through our regulation 18 consultation.

"It also shows the consequences of attempting to move further towards the government's housing requirement, members should be honest that doing so would require substantially more green belt than is currently proposed."

The comments were made at an extraordinary council meeting held on Monday (September 14) about how Stockport's draft local plan is progressing.

The next step is for the plan to be published for consultation under a provision known as regulation 19.

Labour Councillor Claire Vibert said: "In terms of having a local plan, time is of the essence, we do need to get on with it, we've needed to get on with it for quite some time but it's got the point now where it is urgent that we get on with it.

"Having an up-to date-plan is something that we desperately need here in Stockport because it allows us take responsibility, that you as an administration [the Lib Dems] need to take on in terms of the development of homes, employment space, infrastructure, transport, all of that.

"That's why we need a local plan and that's how we protect our green spaces for everyone. It's also how we avoid those costly legal challenges that we've had from developers, as you'll be well aware led to the council losing public money."