Helping to Shape Manchester’s Environmental Future

Helping to Shape Manchester’s Environmental Future

Helping to Shape Manchester’s Environmental Future
20 October 2025

Manchester City Council has recently released its draft Local Plan for consultation, and TEP is proud to have played a key role in shaping the city’s environmental policies.



The Environment and Social Infrastructure chapters highlight the vital role of nature and open spaces in city life, from supporting health and wellbeing to improving resilience against climate change and flooding. Policies on green and blue infrastructure, biodiversity, and urban greening put the natural environment at the heart of Manchester’s future development, and ensure natural spaces remain central to the city’s growth.


TEP’s Evidence Behind the Plan


TEP led several foundational studies that informed these policies, working with partners Mersey Rivers Trust, Groundwork Greater Manchester, Lancashire Wildlife Trust and City of Trees who contributed local expertise and consulted with local communities, politicians and environmentalists.

Our studies were:


🌿 Managing Manchester’s Trees:
An assessment of the city’s tree stock and canopy cover, providing ward-by-ward guidance for tree protection and new planting. The study included a nostalgic look back at tree planting initiatives in the city over the last 100 years.


🌿 Our Rivers Our City:
Mapping river valleys and waterways, identifying opportunities for ecological restoration, climate resilience, and improved public access; all measures to help Manchester become a ‘Sponge City’.


🌿 Biodiversity Net Gain Study:
Predicting the likely demand for biodiversity units from the city’s ambitious growth plans and identifying Council-owned land that could become a habitat bank.


🌿 Urban Green Factor Study:
Providing practical guidance for integrating nature-based solutions into new developments, ensuring that growth enhances biodiversity and climatic resilience.


🌿 Open Space Assessment:
Working with the Local plan team to produce webmaps to help them analyse Open Space needs.


Our Arboriculture, Land Management, Landscape Design, Geospatial, Ecology, Planning and Heritage teams collaborated to deliver these studies, providing a broad-ranging evidence base for policies designed to enhance green and blue infrastructure, improve ecosystem services, and ensure Manchester’s future development is sustainable, resilient, and nature-positive.

Fran Hesketh, Technical Director and Founder of TEP, said:

“Contributing to the city’s environmental strategy is a tremendous privilege. Our multi-disciplinary collaboration ensures that our research supports both people and nature, shaping a greener, more resilient Manchester.”

25 June 2026
Well known Invasive-Non-Native Species (INNS) are widely understood, however the threat of new and emerging INNS across the UK is real.
25 June 2026
INNS compliance should be integrated into project planning at the earliest stage, as well as site management, and delivery. We discuss key measures for the management of floral INNS.
12 June 2026
On behalf of Cheshire East Council, TEP has secured consent for the expansion of the Environmental Services Hub site. The expansion will facilitate a weekly food waste collection service for every property in the borough, helping Cheshire East Council prepare for a new statutory requirement from central government due to come into force from 2026-2027. To achieve this, we prepared and managed three planning applications: A full application for 84 new employee parking spaces, a bin storage area and a security lodge; A non-material amendment application for the reconfiguration of the existing site layout; and A variation of condition application to increase the limit on vehicle movements. The project began with a pre-application advice request, followed by discussions with the local planning authority to confirm the applications and supporting information required for submission. A key element of the project was the preparation of a planning needs case. This justified the development remaining at the Environmental Services Hub site, rather than a 'preferred site' identified within the council's Waste Plan. The case also identified the benefits of increasing recycling rates and supporting sustainable waste management across the borough. To support the applications, traffic surveys were commissioned and a Transport Statement was prepared, demonstrating that the proposals would have no negative impact on the local highway network. A Transport Note was also produced to establish the number of vehicle movements that should be permitted through the variation of condition application. Air quality and noise assessments were also undertaken to demonstrate that impacts would be limited and acceptable. 
25 June 2026
Well known Invasive-Non-Native Species (INNS) are widely understood, however the threat of new and emerging INNS across the UK is real.
25 June 2026
INNS compliance should be integrated into project planning at the earliest stage, as well as site management, and delivery. We discuss key measures for the management of floral INNS.
25 June 2026
Well known Invasive-Non-Native Species (INNS) are widely understood, however the threat of new and emerging INNS across the UK is real.
25 June 2026
INNS compliance should be integrated into project planning at the earliest stage, as well as site management, and delivery. We discuss key measures for the management of floral INNS.
12 June 2026
On behalf of Cheshire East Council, TEP has secured consent for the expansion of the Environmental Services Hub site. The expansion will facilitate a weekly food waste collection service for every property in the borough, helping Cheshire East Council prepare for a new statutory requirement from central government due to come into force from 2026-2027. To achieve this, we prepared and managed three planning applications: A full application for 84 new employee parking spaces, a bin storage area and a security lodge; A non-material amendment application for the reconfiguration of the existing site layout; and A variation of condition application to increase the limit on vehicle movements. The project began with a pre-application advice request, followed by discussions with the local planning authority to confirm the applications and supporting information required for submission. A key element of the project was the preparation of a planning needs case. This justified the development remaining at the Environmental Services Hub site, rather than a 'preferred site' identified within the council's Waste Plan. The case also identified the benefits of increasing recycling rates and supporting sustainable waste management across the borough. To support the applications, traffic surveys were commissioned and a Transport Statement was prepared, demonstrating that the proposals would have no negative impact on the local highway network. A Transport Note was also produced to establish the number of vehicle movements that should be permitted through the variation of condition application. Air quality and noise assessments were also undertaken to demonstrate that impacts would be limited and acceptable.