A defiant farmer is refusing to vacate his £1.1 million bungalow despite a council plan to build 2,150 homes on green belt land. Alan French, 76, has lived in his two-bedroom detached bungalow, Far Meadow Farm, in Hyde, Greater Manchester, which sits on 10 acres of countryside, since 2002.
The retired horticulturalist and renowned horse judge hoped it would be his forever home until 2016, when Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council unveiled plans for the controversial Godley Green Garden Village development. Outline planning permission, submitted in 2021 and approved early this year, details the construction of two new villages on 256 acres of green belt land between Hyde and Hattersley.
Council officials have entered into options agreements with many landowners to facilitate the project, but French turned down the offer and now fears being served a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO). The pensioner has stood firm, telling councillors he will not give up his home, especially after both his childhood home and his grandmother's home were previously CPO'd and demolished.
Alongside French, retired dairy farmer Anne Tym, 68, has also claimed she has been threatened with a CPO after deciding to keep her nine-acre plot. French said: 'My life has been plagued by these purchase orders. When I first found out about these plans and that my property is right in the middle, I thought, blummin' heck, not another one. This time I told them to sod off and that I'm not going anywhere. I have just been blocking it out and acting as if nothing is going to happen. I now live in fear that I might be kicked out. I'm too old to move again, and I don't want all the palaver of moving.'
French's childhood home, Barrak Hill Farm in Romiley, where he lived with his parents, was CPO'd in 1954, with the 18 acres used for bungalows and a housing estate. In the 1960s, his grandmother's cottage on Mill Lane, Woodley, was CPO'd for road widening and later a supermarket car park. French claims he has been asked by the council if he plans to sell the land, to which he refused. He also says a 2024 meeting with council officials left him waiting for written confirmation that no CPO would be issued, leaving him in 'fear' of eviction.
Anne Tym, who lives with her husband at Brookfold Farm in Hyde, said: 'My husband has lived here since he was born, and I have since we were married 40 years ago. I told the council on day one, they are not having it. If I wanted to live on a housing estate, I would, but I don't. They have asked me if I want to sell and also threatened a CPO, but I'm yet to see anything in writing. It is my land, why should I have to leave?'
The development has faced significant local opposition, with more than 4,000 initial objections after the submission in October 2021. Campaigners claim only 15 per cent of the proposed homes will be classed as affordable. The campaign group 'Save Tameside Greenbelt' has been rallying against the project. Group leader Claire Elliott, 48, said: 'Everyone is angry that it has gone ahead. It was spun as a community project, but thousands objected. We feel like we haven't been listened to. It feels like a done deal from day one. The community feels it is the loss of an asset as people love the countryside and the wildlife.'
Sue Hartley, 65, who keeps her horse Sky on French's land, accused the council of 'land banking' and called the situation 'disgusting'. She said: 'It seems cruel really, they are leaving people worried about their houses, which isn't fair, with land potentially not being developed on for years.' French also slammed the project, saying it will 'ruin' the wildlife and be an 'eyesore'. He added: 'The area is changing, but it seems to be moving in the wrong direction.'
The Godley Green Garden Village project includes 2,150 homes, green spaces, play areas, a primary school, sports pitches, and health care facilities. It first emerged in 2016 under the now-ditched Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) draft and later became part of Places for Everyone, a long-term spatial development plan. The site was removed from the Green Belt and allocated for development after the adoption of Places for Everyone in March 2024.
Outline planning permission was granted last month after initial denial due to confusion over a £29 million cash injection from housing developers MADE Partnership. Tameside Council has partnered with MADE to deliver the villages. Supporters say the plan will reduce housing shortages. Council leader Eleanor Wills said: 'The designs consider the importance of infrastructure and green spaces, as well as the mix of people that make a proper community. Godley Green will have homes for young couples, families, retirees, and single people, offering a range of sizes and tenures.'
Stephen Kinsella, managing director of MADE Partnership, said: 'We are planning a high-quality development where green space and community facilities are at the heart of its design. Godley Green Garden Village will be a place where residents will be proud to live, work and relax.' This week, MADE submitted a reserved matters application for key infrastructure on the first phases of the eastern village near Hattersley. It is not clear when work will begin.
In a joint statement, Tameside Council and MADE said: 'We can confirm that no compulsory purchase orders are being actively pursued or have been issued for the land within the allocated Godley Green Garden Village. Tameside Council and MADE have worked closely with landowners through ongoing engagement and consultation, allowing the proposals to progress through dialogue and agreement to avoid the use of compulsory purchase powers. The Council and MADE remain committed to engaging fairly and transparently with all affected people, including landowners, as part of the statutory planning process and via a resident liaison group.'
