Seven green sites in the West Midlands, Staffordshire and Shropshire that could be under threat from housing development
The Government has pledged to facilitate the building of 1.5 million new homes during this parliament - but where will they go?
Recent months have seen a surge of planning applications, which could see hundreds of acres of green space lost to make way for soaring demand for housing.
Few people would argue there is not a desperate demand for new homes in England, but the Government's pledge to build 1.5 million homes is likely to come at a cost in the loss of treasured green spaces and farmland. This will be particularly keenly felt in areas where such space is at a premium, such as the more densely populated areas of the West Midlands.
To help meet its target of 1.5 million homes a year, the recently departed Housing Secretary last year issued every local authority in England with its own individual housing quota.
Shropshire Council has been set the biggest housing target in the region, with a requirement to build 1,994 homes per year, although the district has the advantage of being fairly sparsely populated compared to some of its neighbours. However, the demand for housing tends to be in areas within close proximity of employment centres: Shifnal, for example has seen a 43.5 per cent increase in population from 6,391 in 2001 to 9,725 at the 2021 census. Plans for major development in nearby Tong, have already aroused strong passions, and similar concerns have been expressed about growiing pressures on the rural fringes of Bridgnorth.
The next biggest target is in Dudley, which has been set a quota of 1,462 new homes every year. Council leader Councillor Patrick Harley described it as a 'death sentence' for the area's green belt, and pledged to defy any pressure to build on protected land.
His most immediate concern is a triangular area of green space on the western fringe of the borough, which has recently resurfaced as a target for developers. His refusal to allow this area to be developed led to the collapse of a joint planning strategy with the neighbouring authorities of Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton, but fears that Government proposals to change planning law could take the matter out of his hands.
Councillor Harley has submitted a 'brownfield only' plan for future development, which he says will be able to meet the borough's housing needs until 2021. The problem he says, is that the government targets are not about meeting demand for housing in individual areas, but rather about setting quotas based on population to fulfil an arbitrary national target.
"We told them we didn’t have sufficient green belt to build these numbers even if we wanted to," he said.
"Labour through Angela Rayner, seems determined to steamroll these plans through and decimate our green belt and green spaces.
"It’s a slap in the face for those who campaigned so hard to protect our green belt and green spaces," he said.
"Labour have effectively served a death sentence on green belt and green spaces."
Labour-run Wolverhampton Council, which has been set a target of 1,086 new homes per year, has been largely supportive of the government's proposals, and cited developments such as its plans to redevelop the former Sainsbury's site in the city centre, the former market place on the western fringe, and the Canalside South scheme that will transform an industrial wasteland.
Councillor Steve Evans, deputy leader of Wolverhampton Council, said many of the homes could be built on small sites, such as former garage blocks where the garages were too small for modern cars.
"Wolverhampton, geographically isn’t a large city, and we haven’t got an abundance of green space to build on, even if we wanted to, not that we do,” Cllr Evans said.
However, one site that will be of great concern to residents of both Wolverhampton and Dudley will be the Seven Cornfields site, which acts as a 'green buffer' between Sedgley and Penn. A concerted campaign by residents appeared to have seen off the threat for now, but fears remain that developers may come back for a fresh attempt, particularly if there is a reform in planning law. That could open the door to another fresh battle.
Telford & Wrekin has been set a target of 952 homes a year, but given that the authority has set its own target of 2,000, it is unlikely to be a major concern. Sandwell has been set a target of 1,346, Cannock Chase 518, with 745 homes a year earmarked for Lichfield, and 651 in South Staffordshire. The target proposes an extra 751 homes in Stafford, 1,451 in Walsall, 582 in Wyre Forest while Bromsgrove is set to get an extra 713
