Housing targets a 'death sentence for the green belt' says Dudley Council leader as he vows to defy Government
A Black Country council leader has vowed to defy the Government's housing targets, saying they amounted to a 'death sentence' for the area's green belt.
Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, accused the Government of singling out Conservative-run councils as it emerged the new targets would mean a 122 per cent increase in the number of homes the authority would be required to find space for.
He said it would place intolerable pressure on green spaces in the borough, with sites in Halesowen, Kingswinford and Stourbridge at particular risk.
Councillor Harley said the Government had also demanded a 26 per cent increase in the number of homes provided in Conservative-run Walsall, and a 52 per cent increase in Solihull.
By contrast, there would be a small decrease in the number of homes required in Labour-controlled Wolverhampton, while the target for Sandwell had been reduced by 13 per cent and in Birmingham by 40 per cent.
"Every Conservative-run council in the region has had its housing need increased, whilst every Labour-run council has seen the numbers go down," he said.
Councillor Harley said the Government had failed to listen to any of the points raised in its recent consultation.
"We told them we didn’t have sufficient green belt to build these numbers even if we wanted to," he said, adding that the authority had a sound local plan that met its needs until 2041.
"This news is shocking, although not unexpected.
"Labour through Angela Rayner, seems determined to steamroll these plans through and decimate our green belt and green spaces."
Councillor Harley said the new method for calculating future housing need would not be based on actual need in the area, but rather on the actual housing stock.
"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."
Councillor Harley said the borough's planners had confirmed that the borough did not have any 'grey belt' sites, and said the authority would not be able to meet the figures even if it built on the green belt.
He said the authority would proceed with its own local plan.
"We will challenge them all the way on this," he said.
He said the new move placed green spaces at Severn Drive and Bryce Road, Pensnett, under renewed threat, along with Lapwood Avenue in Kingswinford.
"All of these and more are now again at risk due to Labour's cull of the green belt.
"With the attacks on pensioners, farmers, private schools and now green belt, it's clear we are back to the politics of envy. This decision is pure spite from an already failing government.”
The Government's latest housing targets propose an extra 1,462 homes are built in Dudley, another 518 in Cannock Chase, 745 in Lichfield, 1,346 in Sandwell, and 651 in South Staffordshire. It proposes an extra 751 homes in Stafford, 1,451 in Walsall, and 1,086 in Wolverhampton. Wyre Forest has been earmarked for 582 homes, while Bromsgrove is set to get an extra 713,
