Planning reforms could lead to Black Country housing shortfall, Mayor warns

Andy Street said he was "very concerned" over plans to scrap the 'duty to cooperate' as part of Michael Gove's Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.

Under the draft Black Country Plan (BCP), Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton have set a target of more than 77,000 new homes by 2039.

The total includes around 28,000 homes in neighbouring local authorities under a 'duty to cooperate', where councils offer up land for development to those who are unable to meet their own housing needs.

But the duty could be removed under new legislation currently going through Parliament.

Mr Street said: "The duty to cooperate has been hugely beneficial for the whole region and has enabled us to meet our housing need over the last five years.

"I am very concerned that the Government's proposal will remove that and will weaken our ability to work together.

"Quite simply, if it does go, there has to be some replacement for it."

Under the duty to cooperate, Lichfield Council has put forward a contribution of around 2,000 homes for the Black Country.

South Staffordshire Council has chipped in more than 4,000, including a sprawling site on the Wolverhampton border at Kitchen Lane and Linthouse Lane in Wednesfield.

The site was raised in the Commons during a debate on the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, which saw Wolverhampton North East MP Jane Stevenson pressing Mr Gove on green belt development.

She said: "In Wolverhampton, we have developed right up to my northern boundary, which borders South Staffordshire.

"That land is currently under proposal for housing, and my residents in Wednesfield and Fallings Park really object to losing their beautiful green space and green belt.

"Could the Secretary of State reassure them that their views will be taken into account, even though this crosses local authorities and is at the edge of the West Midlands mayoralty?"

In response Mr Gove said the Government was committed to ensuring that all local plans protected "areas of environmental beauty and amenity".

He described green belt protection as "critical", and added: "We will also end the so-called duty to co-operate, which has often led some urban authorities to offload their responsibility for development on to other areas in a way that has meant that we have had not urban regeneration but suburban sprawl."

The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee has written to Mr Gove raising a series of concerns over his proposals.

The letter says: "In our view, the Bill radically centralises planning decision-making and substantially erodes public participation in the planning system."