Plans for 560 homes on Dudley green belt could be back on agenda as developer lodges application
A bombshell planning application has sparked fears that 560 homes could be built on the green belt - less than three years after the threat appeared to have been lifted.
In October 2022 Dudley Council pulled out of a joint planning strategy with neighbouring Walsall, Wolverhampton and Sandwell councils over pressure to develop a site known as 'The Triangle' in Wall Heath for housing.
Council leader Patrick Harley told residents he was not prepared to see the site developed for housing, and said Dudley Council would instead draw up its own 'brownfield only' strategy.
The plan was submitted to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner in February.
But this week environmental consultants Envance have lodged an application requesting a decision from planners on whether a environmental impact assessment would be needed in the event of a substantive application for 560 homes to be built on the site.
The news has sparked immediate fears among neighbours that a full planning application could be imminent.
Neil Garratt, of Kingsley Road, said: "This is clearly a precursor to a full planning application, and it is important that key local concerns are raised at this early stage.
"The site lies within the green belt, which the local authority has previously committed to protecting. Development here would undermine that position and set a concerning precedent, particularly as there are still numerous brownfield sites across the borough that remain undeveloped.
