Since becoming your Member of Parliament in 2015 I have continued to campaign to protect the precious Green Belt and Open Spaces across my Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.
Today our Green Belt and Open Spaces are facing a serious threat with large areas potentially disappearing under new developments.
The proposed Black Country Development Plan recommends that Walsall Borough takes 7,100 homes, and under this proposal a staggering 5,500 are proposed across this constituency. Whilst new homes are vital in meeting housing needs and regenerating communities, my concern is the risk of the devastation of our Green Belt.
The purpose of the Green Belt is to prevent urban sprawl and keep inappropriate development in check, and I do not want to see Aldridge-Brownhills become just another suburb of a Greater Birmingham.
I have always been an advocate of a ‘Brownfield First’ policy and I do not believe that the proposed Black Country Plan does enough to explore this as a viable proposition. I will therefore continue to campaign to ensure that the first call on housing is on Brownfield sites.
This why I am also asking local residents to join me and voice their concerns in the public consultation on the Draft Black Country Plan 2039 (running from 16th August to 5pm on 11th October 2021).
Over the forthcoming weeks I will be out and about talking to residents and asking you to sign my petition to ‘Switch the Strategy’ away from Green Belt development in favour of a policy of Brownfield First.
I would also urge you to comment on the consultation.