{"id":22321,"date":"2026-04-26T09:49:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T09:49:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/22321\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T09:49:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T09:49:21","slug":"the-farmer-who-wont-budge-even-if-2150-homes-are-built-around-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/22321\/","title":{"rendered":"The farmer who won’t budge – even if 2,150 homes are built around him"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alan French lives on an idyllic farmstead surrounded by trees, shrubbery and open fields. But all the land around him is being bought up so 2,150 homes can be built on his doorstep.<\/p>\n

The 76-year-old grew up in the countryside on the border of Tameside<\/a> and Stockport<\/a> and has been chased out of every home he\u2019s lived in so houses could be built. This time he is not budging.<\/p>\n

Alan has lived on the farm for 17 years. He moved to Far Meadow Farm after being forced out of two previous homes in neighbouring Romiley due to compulsory purchase orders (CPOs).<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to get the biggest stories straight to your inbox in our Daily Newsletter<\/p>\n

He feared a CPO would come through the letterbox once again when the new Godley Green Garden Village plan reared its head a decade ago. But that has yet to arrive.<\/p>\n

Now he is resolute in that he\u2019s staying and authorities would have to \u2018wait until he\u2019s dead\u2019 before they could get his land.<\/p>\n

\"Far<\/p>\n

Far Meadow Farm in Hyde owned by Alan French(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

The scheme would see 2,150 homes built off Mottram Old Road in the Hyde<\/a> countryside over a 15 year period. The proposal would see a new ‘village’ split by Godley Brook into two halves, each with its own centre, including up to 1,300 sqm of retail space, 1,600 sqm of commercial and 1,000 sqm for community use.<\/p>\n

It was granted outline planning approval earlier this year<\/a>. At the meeting Alan was mentioned by numerous campaigners pushing for the controversial scheme to be thrown out.<\/p>\n

They said Alan was one of many who would have their lives uprooted by the proposal. At the moment, things are quiet and the farmer says he\u2019s had no contact with the developers or Tameside council since 2024.<\/p>\n

Alan\u2019s plot was on the map for the Godley Green development, but he believes changes have been made and he\u2019s now living on the edge of the proposed site.<\/p>\n

\"Alan<\/p>\n

Alan French, who lives at Far Meadow Farm in Hyde, pointing across his land into the distance(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t go to the consultation meetings because I can\u2019t be bothered with it all,\u201d Alan said. \u201cI\u2019m done with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just think, piss off, leave me alone, I\u2019m not moving. Everytime I move somewhere developers want it. I\u2019m mega pissed off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard nothing really. There are lots of people who go to meetings and they tell me what\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it will be a long time off if they do come to do a CPO on me. I\u2019m 76 now and I think by the time it all gets going and they build from the other end, I shall probably have died by then. But just for spite I\u2019m not going to.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019ve heard nothing and I think word has gotten around that Alan French is not moving. If they come I would tell them how many times this has happened to me and it bloody well won\u2019t happen again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is no longer a rural place. It\u2019s going to get worse if they get their way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alan explained how he\u2019s on the edge of the development land for Godley Green, with CPOs being issued on all his neighbours to get the scheme over the line. \u2018If it\u2019s got a roof on then want it\u2019, is how the farmer puts it.<\/p>\n

Previously, when the Manchester Evening News <\/a>visited Alan\u2019s farm off Mottram Old Road in 2024<\/a>, he spoke of how the council just kept asking whether he had changed his mind on selling up. The answer then was the same answer he would give now – no.<\/p>\n

He loves his life on the farm. When speaking to the M.E.N<\/a> he spoke with joy about his horses Yan and Tommy and joked about his chickens that only understand Chinese due to their previous owners.<\/p>\n

\"Alan<\/p>\n

Alan French with his horse Tommy(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

He has seen the rural landscape decrease in Tameside in recent years though. The area where Hattersley and Mottram is used to be a farming community in his early years.<\/p>\n

Alan added: \u201cOn a day like today it\u2019s gorgeous. It\u2019s sunny, lovely and I can\u2019t see houses because of the trees and I can see the moors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know I don\u2019t own the view, but it\u2019s very nice to have it. I went to Hattersley and thought \u2018this is awful\u2019 because they\u2019ve built another supermarket opposite the other one and built something else stupid.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not needed. Mottram is chocka block now and you can\u2019t get through it. All the green space is being turned urban.<\/p>\n

\"Far<\/p>\n

Far Meadow Farm in Hyde owned by Alan French(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wildlife we\u2019ve got here is becoming less. The deer used to come into the menage with their babies. There was one dead last week on the road because the traffic is ridiculous.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a motorcyclist going down the road doing 80. This is most days.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest change is building things that aren\u2019t needed. I thought they were short of houses so I get confused when they build things like that supermarket in Hattersley.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alan said those in the farming community feel they are being pushed out of the area between Tameside and Stockport to make way for new homes. Although he is a supporter of the campaign aginst Godley Green, he simply wants to live his life in peace.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Campaigners against the Godley Green garden village outside Guardsman Tony Downes House in Droylsden.(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

There has been a fierce battle from campaigners to stop the development, being tabled by Tameside council and MADE partnership – a joint venture between Barratt Redrow PLC, Homes England and Lloyds Banking Group. The application received thousands of objections from residents who fear the potential loss of green land will ‘ruin’ the area.<\/p>\n

MADE offered almost \u00a329m of improvements to the area of Godley. These contributions, known as Section 106 (S106) cash, were intended for road infrastructure improvements; a new primary school; healthcare facilities; and a bridge going east and west \u2013 connecting the villages to Hattersley.<\/p>\n

When the scheme was approved on March 18, Eleanor Wills, leader of Tameside Council, said: \u201cThis resolution to grant consent is ultimately the result of our forming a strategic partnership with MADE so that we could address the opportunity in the best possible way, and I look forward to watching its progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe designs not only consider the importance of infrastructure and green spaces, but also the mix of people that come together to make a proper community. Godley Green will have homes for young couples and families, retirees, and single people, offering a range of sizes and tenures.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll create a natural, representative community from the outset, that works for toddlers all the way to their grandparents.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe development has been thought through very carefully indeed and will be a welcome addition to Tameside whilst helping us fulfil our obligations to the central government to provide more high-quality homes as our population grows.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CGI<\/p>\n

CGI of how the new Godley Green development in Tameside could look(Image: Tameside Council)<\/p>\n

Stephen Kinsella, managing director MADE Partnership, added: \u201cThis is a major step forward after a considerable amount of hard work and constructive engagement with our partners at Tameside Council and key stakeholders.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alan French lives on an idyllic farmstead surrounded by trees, shrubbery and open fields. But all the land…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22322,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[528,10143,10142,14,290,10140,10141,5,6,3180],"class_list":{"0":"post-22321","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uk","8":"tag-environment","9":"tag-godley","10":"tag-hyde-and-longdendale","11":"tag-politics","12":"tag-premium","13":"tag-tameside","14":"tag-tameside-council","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-unmissable"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@UnitedKingdom\/116470386891056442","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22321"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22321\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}