Protecting the Green Belt

To many people in Stourbridge, the green belt is a vital part of life. Providing beautiful landscapes to enjoy and experience and acting as a vital green barrier to stop urban sprawl, I recognise the important of the green belt in our area. I have a track record in fighting against green belt development, being part of the Project Fields campaign opposed to green belt development elsewhere in the West Midlands.

I would like to see a brownfield first policy on development, and I believe both Mayor Andy Street and Dudley Council do too. I have always believed very strongly in building on brownfield sites before any green belt site can be considered. In this way, the homes earmarked for the sites could be built elsewhere, preserving precious green belt for residents. Not only does this preserve existing green belt sites, but it also regenerates and invigorates areas that have often been left to decay or have at the very least been grossly underused. In my view, extra resources deployed to identifying and analysing brownfield sites would considerably outweigh the damage that could be done to green belt land. Evidence has also shown that building on these sites is often quicker than building on green belt sites.

That is why I am campaigning with local residents, Conservative councillors, and West Midlands Mayor Andy Street to prevent any development on local green belt sites.

The good news is that it looks like no green belt land in Dudley Council’s Local Plan has been allocated for housing or commercial development in the constituency.

I will continue to fight for a brownfield first approach and residents can always count of my support when green belt is threatened.

News

Andy Street comes to Corbett Meadow

I took West Midlands Mayor Andy Street to meet with the Corbett Meadow Action Group following the planning refusal to build 84 homes on the site. We spoke with local councillors Pete Lee and Paul Bradley and Eddy Morton and Michael Liley from the campaign group to congratulate them on their hard wo

Clockfields and Pedmore Lane Green Space Protected

I am delighted that two green spaces in Stourbridge have been designated as Sites of Local Importance for Nature Conservation (SLINC). Land at Clockfields in Amblecote and off Pedmore Lane have been given SLINC status, which mean they now have greater protection from future development. I would li

Corbett Meadow Planning Application Opens

The much anticipated Planning Application has now been submitted for the development of 84 houses on Corbett Meadow. I have made my views on the development widely known, especially as the land has now been granted local green space in the draft Local Plan.

Have your say on the future of Corbett Meadow

Please share and have your say! The draft plans for a housing development on our treasured Corbett Meadow are now in the public domain. Whilst no planning application has been submitted, you are invited by Church Homes to comment on their draft plans. There is an 8 minute video on the Church Home

Protection of Green Belt land in Wollaston

I am delighted that the Green Belt land at Wollaston Farm has been saved from development and removed from the latest version of the Black Country Plan.

Protecting Corbett Meadow

I asked the Minister at DEFRA Topical Questions about what can be done to ensure that Corbett Meadow is protected from development and the benefits of green social prescribing.  "Corbett Meadow is a historic piece of land in my constituency and in the draft local plan it has been aff

Meeting with the Save Corbett Meadow Action Group

Always good to meet up with the Save Corbett Meadow Action Group and councillor Paul Bradley. We met on Saturday to discuss next steps. I also have a DEFRA question in the Chamber later this week and Corbett Meadow is what I will be talking about.

Corbett Meadow Meet

Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb has met with the Save the Corbett Meadow Action Group to thank them for all their efforts to protect the local green space. The group met to discuss the proposals in the Black Country Plan, which is set to give the site the same protection as Green Belt. The ancient mea

My thoughts on the Black Country Plan

I am really pleased that Corbett Meadow will be designated local green space and be afforded the same protection as Green Belt in the plan.