Council hopes of protecting borough beauty spots given huge boost

The local authority has submitted the Dudley Local Plan to the Secretary of State for consideration, with a decision expected later this year.

It lays out plans to build nearly 10,500 new homes in the borough by 2041 – with 97 per cent on brownfield sites and none on green belt land.

Brownfield sites are ones that have been previously developed but are either no longer in use or being under-utilised.

The authority’s hopes of getting the green light have been boosted by a decision this month by inspectors to approve the Wirral Local Plan.

It is believed to be the first council in the country to get a blueprint approved using a brownfield only approach to house building.

Despite around half of the borough being green belt land, there will be no building on beauty spots in the Wirral before 2040.

Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of the council, said:

“The news of the Wirral Plan is massive for us, as we now have a precedent.

“It shows that a brownfield first approach, which protects the green belt from development, can pass the litmus test with the Secretary of State and get over the line.

“It has been approved despite being nearly 3,000 short of the government’s recommended figure for the amount of houses being built there.

“Ours is nowhere near that – we are only around 700 short.

“So I am hugely confident that our plan, which is robust, will get the green light from the government. It will allow us to deliver on our promises to do all we can to protect the borough’s green spaces from developers.”

The council submitted its plan for examination in February, with hearings to rule on it expected to start in the summer.

It lays out plans to build 10,470 homes by 2041, with 97 per cent on brownfield sites and three per cent on greenfield.

There is no proposed release of green belt – which makes up just over 18 per cent of land in the borough - to meet the demand.