Campaigners have escalated a row with Manchester council over the future of Ryebank Fields in Chorlton, slamming what they describe as a seven-month delay in deciding a planning application to protect the land as a community woodland and meadow.
Background of the Dispute
Plans to build 120 homes on the land were submitted in February by Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) alongside housing developers Step Places and the Southway Housing Trust. The land, owned by MMU, sits on the border of Manchester and Trafford. In response, a group known as the Ryebank Fields Community Group (RFCG) submitted an alternative application in August to preserve the site for community use. No decision has been made on either application.
Community Group's Frustration
The RFCG claims its submission was supposed to be decided by the council in December, but they are still waiting for an outcome. The group has written an open letter to town hall chief executive Tom Stannard demanding an explanation. The letter states: "We have contacted Manchester City Council on seven separate occasions seeking an update, a timetable for determination, and clarification of whether any outstanding matters remain. We have also offered a telephone conversation and a video meeting to assist in resolving any issues and facilitate progress. Despite these efforts, we have received neither a clear timetable for determination nor a satisfactory explanation for the continuing delay."
The letter adds: "Our correspondence has largely gone unanswered, leaving us with no indication of when the application will be determined. This lack of engagement falls well below the standard of openness, transparency and communication that applicants are entitled to expect from a local planning authority."
Council's Response
It is understood council officers have worked through the planning application and that it required extra information, which was submitted by the applicant earlier in 2026. A Manchester council spokesperson said: "All applications are always considered on their own merits based on both national and local planning policies. However, as this planning application remains live, it would be inappropriate to comment further."
MMU's Position and Protests
MMU has stated that selling the land will help fund 'excellent education and research' in the future. Protests were held at Ryebank Fields in 2022 over the university's plans to dispose of the site, leading to a protest camp being set up. The RFCG hopes its planning application will secure the land for community use.
Community and Political Reaction
Dr Rhetta Moran, chair of Ryebank Fields Community Group, said: "Manchester City Council's planning authority... will not outlast Ryebank Fields. Its local community and their supporters will cut through whatever stands in our way in an honest, transparent and persistently professional manner." Green councillor Chantal Kerr-Sheppard, who represents the Chorlton ward, said: "I am calling on Manchester City Council to list this application for committee immediately and to explain publicly why their own target has been missed. The residents who submitted this application did so in good faith and by the council's own timetable, the application should have been presented to the committee months ago."
Details of the Proposed Developments
The 120 homes proposed for Ryebank Fields in MMU's planning application would consist of two, three, and four-bed apartments and townhouses. Of these, 52 would be sold on the open market, with another 42 earmarked as age-friendly, social rent properties. The plans also include eight homes for young autistic adults and 18 co-housing units. One third of the site would be retained as green space, preserving the majority of the Aspen Grove and the established woodland next to Longford Park.
