'Six weeks to save green belt' - Concerns raised over future for countryside outside Halesowen
Campaigners claim there is 'only six weeks' to save a Black Country town's countryside from being built with new homes and industries.
A total of 22,000 properties and 300 hectares of industries are needed to meet the region's growing population by 2036.
Halesowen Abbey Trust believes Halesowen’s rural areas will be the main target for developments unless Dudley Council steps in before a ‘green built review’ in January.
Mick Freer, head of the trust, said: "This is the most serious threat that I have experienced in my 40 years of volunteering for conservation."
The shortage of homes and industries have been identified as part of the Black Country Core Strategy - a planning document drawn up by Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton councils.
Mr Freer believes 6,000 homes and 75 hectacres of industry will be found in the Dudley borough – around a quarter of the overall total - with a chunk going into Halesowen.
Paul Mountford, head of planning and regeneration at Dudley Council, revealed a 'green built review' is likely to start in January, where planners will identify potential sites for development.
He said: "The green belt review has been delayed, with a likely commencement in January 2018, and as yet the brief is still being finalised."
But Dudley Council has confirmed no such land has been identified so far.
Mr Freer is calling on Dudley Council bosses to step in before January, before he says it will be too late.
He believes if Halesowen's countryside is identified, councillors will not be able to stop the process.
He added: “If the councillors want to protect our Clentine countryside, they must instruct the planners to stop the contractors from searching for sites in our countryside. They have a maximum of six week to do so.”
Risk areas are Lapal, Coombeswood, Grange Hill, Hayley Green, Lutley, Oldnall and Foxcote, he claimed.
Dudley Council boss Patrick Harley said: “At this stage it is far too early to talk about specific locations and no firm decisions have been made.
“We will be looking at the results of the extensive consultation we carried out over the last few months and carry out further work to produce a document which will go into more specific detail on where proposed new development could be located.
“We hope to go out to consultation on that document next autumn.”
