A FARM owner has been left “shocked and confused” after he discovered his land has been included in a planning document.

Dwayne Wilson bought Doffer Fold Farm in Radcliffe five months ago and only realised that his land had been included in the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework draft plan when another resident turned up at his house.

The plan, which earmarks land for development in Greater Manchester for the next 19 years, is currently in the public consultation stage.

Mr Wilson said: “The first time I heard about it was a man appeared at the end of my drive with a flyer asking people to be object and my land was included.

“We only bought it five months ago so I felt a bit stupid that I wouldn’t know that something like this was going to happen.

“I was a bit shocked and confused and not sure how to react.”

Mr Wilson and his partner Tracey Crofts had plans to turn the farm in to a livery with horse riding stables but said these will now have to be put on hold.

He said: “We have already spent quite a bit of money improving it for the horses and had plans to improve it further.

“We don’t want to plough thousands in to a farm that is going to be bulldozed.

“One of the proposed roads would go right behind one of the stables.”

“So even if we said no we would be left in a situation where all the land around us had been built on.

“We just don’t know what to do.”

A council spokesman said: “The GM Spatial Framework identifies sites where housing or industry could be developed in order to meet government targets.

The list of sites was put together following suggestions from developers.

“It is entirely up to landowners to decide if they wish to sell their land to developers. If Mr Wilson does not wish to sell his land, he is under no obligation to do so.

“As far as the Framework is concerned, sites may have been identified but the actual development details have not been drawn up.” The GMSF is currently out for consultation and is expected to take at least until 2018 before being adopted.”

Consultation on the draft plan is open until January 16.

Responses to the consultation should be made either online at www.gmsf-consult.objective.co.uk; by email to GMSF@agma.gov.uk; or by post to: Greater Manchester Integrated Support Team, PO Box 532, Town Hall, Manchester M60 2LA.