'The lungs of Goscote': Pledge to fight development of Walsall's Swannies Field

Pete Smith says he will organise a campaign if there is any threat to Swannies Field and the Lea.

The stretch of land was among 26 sites categorised as "low harm" if they were to be released for development as part of a study addressing the Black Country's urgent need for homes, which was revealed by the Express & Star. More than 70,000 need to be built by 2038.

However, housing bosses have said it does not necessarily mean these sites will end up being built on.

The report said the fact the land was surrounded by housing estates means"it has a weak relationship with the surrounding countryside".

The 71-acre site included in the study stretches up Goscote Lane towards Hardy Road and also includes land around the sewage works.

Mr Smith, a former councillor in the Blakenall ward who served as mayor in 2014/15, said he would not let the land go without a fight.

He said he would request a meeting with Walsall Council Mike Bird seeking clarification over the land.

He said: "Swannies Field and the Lea is effectively one large piece of green belt, divided only by the canal running through.

"These fields are the lungs of Goscote and I am determined that they remain this way.

"There has been a massive housing development very nearby on the old Poets Estate land. Furthermore planning permission has already been granted for a further two very large housing sites within a few hundred yards of Swannies Field, namely the former Industrial Site on Goscote Lane and another site on Goscote Lodge Crescent.

"To build on what bit of green belt we have in our area would be a massive overkill and would outrage the local community."

Other sites in the Black Country judged to be low harm included green fields bordering Smestow School and the River Stour in Wolverhampton, land opposite Dudley’s Russells Hall Hospital, 50 acres of open space at Red House Park, Great Barr, about 70 acres off Goscote Lane, Walsall, including a park.