Good Afternoon All,
As many of you will already be aware, a very important public consultation which could potentially shape the future of housing plans in the region starts on Monday.
The consultation on the latest phase of the Black Country Plan will run from 16 August to 11 October 2021 and you can get involved and help protect greenbelt land in the city.
Find out more at Black Country Plan.
As custodians of the remaining precious green belt land in Wolverhampton, we have taken all steps possible to ensure that every inch of brownfield land in the city has been included in this plan. During the plan making process our focus has been on selecting sites available within the urban area and minimising the impact on the green belt and the environment by not including sites like the Seven Cornfields.
Only 11% of land in Wolverhampton is green belt and retaining as much of this as possible is of paramount importance to our new climate strategy and supporting our carbon neutral challenge. Every inch of brownfield land in the city has been included in this plan. Indeed, we have an excellent track record in remediating brownfield sites such as Bilston Urban Village, Springfield Campus and Canalside when funding is available.
So, what’s the problem, you may be wondering?
Well, over the next 20 years, the government projects that the Black Country will need just over 76,000 new homes and 560 hectares of land to accommodate new jobs by 2039 – equivalent to 835 football fields.
In a nutshell, the number of houses we are being asked to provide under the Black Country Plan in Wolverhampton far outstrips our total brownfield capacity and force us to put forward, for public consultation, some of Wolverhampton’s Green Belt for possible future housing / employment land development, to the dismay of anyone who genuinely cares about protecting what’s left of our precious green belt.
And make no mistake and be persuaded by any propaganda from the Wolverhampton Conservative group that you may hear on social media or the local press
They don’t REALLY care or have the same passion as us about protecting what’s left of our precious Green Belt. We do and that’s why we passed a “Brownfield Only” motion at our July Full Council which they voted against. By doing this, they effectively refused to make representations on your behalf to the Secretary of State Robert Jenrick and MHCLG!!! They failed to acknowledge that, ultimately, it is their Tory government who have the powers to reduce these unachievable housing targets.
So, I would urge all of you to take part in the consultation and let your views be known. You can have your say on the proposed sites for development and where you think new development should be in the Black Country. Remember, no final decision has yet been made on any of the sites put forward in the draft plan – this is your chance to have your say.
Councillor Ian Brookfield
Leader of Wolverhampton Labour Group
(Stock image used)