SHADOW Secretary for Communities and Local Government, Steve Read, paid a visit to Pensnett and Kingswinford on Thursday, September 16 to support campaigns against building on greenbelt and greenfield land.
Under the draft Black Country Plan two greenbelt sites are proposed to be released in Kingswinford/ Wall Heath: 533 homes are planned for land at Swindon Road, Wall Heath; 330 homes are planned for land south of Holbeache Lane, Kingswinford.
In Pensnett, the plan proposes to build on two greenfield sites: 15 homes on Severn Drive and 115 homes on Bryce Road.
MP Steve Read has criticised Dudley Council for not acting on brownfield sites first and subsiding those sites to make them more appealing to developers.
“I don’t think the council are doing brownfield first – what they are saying and what they are doing are two different things,” said Mr Read.
“If you look at it from the point of view of developers, it’s cheaper to build on greenbelt sites as quite often you have to prepare brownfield sites to build on.
“The council should be subsiding brownfield sites, so they are available to use by the developers.
“The government which is requiring the council to meet the housing target should be supporting them so that we don’t have to build on greenbelt.
“Greenbelt is there for a reason – to stop urban areas going up so there is no green space left.”
Mr Read was joined by Dudley councillor for Brookmoor and Pensnett, Judy Foster, who is also supporting residents with their campaign and urging them to object to plans.
One resident who lives near Severn Drive said they were disgusted with the amount of housing planned for Pensnett and the surrounding area and as the green space on Severn Drive is one of the last remaining.
Another resident said: “Traffic is a major concern – we have three massive complexes by us – Merry Hill, Pensnett Trading Centre and Russells Hall Hospital so around Pensnett it is gridlock. What will it be like with even more housing?”
Mr Read added: “If you take away people’s green spaces you end up with more traffic, ill health and toxic emissions.
“Green space is vital for healthy wellbeing. There is a social cost to those who will suffer from green space lost. The government should be prioritising the needs of the community.”
The consultation to provide comments about the Black Country Plan is open until October 11 and can be accessed via blackcountryplan.dudley.gov.uk/t2/p6/
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