Mayor's vow to save green belt as review launched into Black Country Plan
A review has been launched to save the green belt after swathes of land across the region was put at the mercy of developers.
More than 7,000 homes have been lined up for green belt sites under the Black Country Plan, which council chiefs have brought forward to meet the region's housing shortfall.
But West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said it was "hard to accept" that so much green belt land was being proposed when plenty of brownfield sites were available for development.
He has launched an independent review in a bid to get green belt land replaced by derelict industrial sites on the plan, which is due to go out for consultation.
Mr Street said: "It is hard to accept that we could be losing a significant amount of green belt for housing despite so much brownfield land still existing across the Black Country.
"That is why it is absolutely vital we commission this further work as part of the consultation to see what more can be done in partnership with local authorities.
“We have to do everything in our powers to protect irreplaceable green land, and this review will not only see if more land can be brought forward for housing, but also identify where more can be made of sites already earmarked – including town and city centre developments.
“We will submit the findings of our review to the Black Country authorities as part of the consultation process, and I hope we can all continue to work together to protect the green belt where possible.”
Mr Street, who has vowed to protect the green belt since becoming Mayor in 2017, added that Government cash was available to "unlock" brownfield development in the region.
The Black Country Plan has been drafted by the region's four local authorities and has sparked opposition from some MPs and councillors since its release last week. It could see around six per cent of the region's green belt built on.
