Dudley Council’s renewed call for sites

Members of the cabinet will be asked to approve the timescales for preparation of the Dudley Local Plan, after the council withdrew from the Black Country Plan last year.

The new plan, which will focus on housing and employment needs, will inform developments and planning decisions in the future and will reflect local people’s views on the use of greenbelt land.

The decision to withdraw from the Black Country Plan coincides with the government’s proposed legislation to give local people a bigger say on developments in their towns.

The proposed legislation, which is currently open for consultation, re-emphasises the requirement to focus on brownfield land for housing development. It suggests that the government’s housing target is a starting point for local authorities to base their future housing requirements.

It also makes it clear that councils are under no obligation to review greenbelt for possible housing use.

As the council now looks to progress its own plan, it intends to launch a renewed call for brownfield sites to inform future proposals. It will be open for six weeks.

Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, said:

We’re developing our own plan, which will make it crystal clear that our priority will always be brownfield first when looking for land to redevelop.

Although we’re now going it alone, much of what local people have told us in previous consultations will be reflected in the work we do now.

We’re also looking to put a renewed call out for sites to ensure we have left no stone unturned when looking for brownfield land that could fulfil housing or employment needs.

This will help us develop a robust plan and maintain our vow to build on brownfield first.

Once the call out for sites opens, landowners and agents are not encouraged to submit the same sites again as they have already been assessed.