Residents out in force to oppose housing plan for Dudley greenfield site
More than 100 residents turned up at a meeting to voice their opposition to a plan for homes on a greenfield site in Dudley.
Elan Homes wants to build 14 homes on land between The Straits and Majors Fold in Gornal, which has been designated as a ‘housing proposal site’ in the Dudley local plan.
But the scheme has been met with a wave of opposition from residents, who say it ignores the region’s ‘brownfield first’ strategy and would be harmful to wildlife and the environment.
Dudley North MP Marco Longhi, who organised the meeting at St Andrew’s Church Hall, said there was a “huge strength of feeling” against the scheme among residents.
He said there was a “mountain of reasons” why the development should not go ahead, but said he feared Dudley Council would back it regardless.
“For me the main concern is that should this development take place, it could easily open up the possibility for a large scale development on the green fields that surround the area,” he said.
"Put simply, any development makes access to the green belt more likely in future.
“I am absolutely determined to stand with residents and fight this application tooth and nail in the hope that ultimately, the council will do the right thing and refuse it.
“The council knows that the Government, West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, and myself have always said we should adhere to a ‘brownfield first’ policy.
“We cannot be arguing that we need to protect our green spaces and then start building on land like this.”
Dozens of objections to the scheme were submitted before the closure of a consultation last week.
The scheme would see three and four-bedroom homes built on land next to an existing development.
A representative for Elan Homes said it would make “better use of a vacant site and its sustainable location”, while also providing additional quality housing for the area.
