Dudley is set for the first round of hearings on the council’s vision for the borough over the coming years.

Throughout June a government inspector will be chairing sessions where she will hear from representatives of a variety of groups, including the construction sector, about how and where new homes will be built. 

Dudley Council is at odds with the government over the number of new homes the borough should provide. Dudley’s Conservative council leader, Cllr Patrick Harley, described Westminster targets as ‘stupid’ and says borough greenbelt would need to be destroyed to deliver what the government is demanding. 

Dudley’s MP, Sonia Kumar, thinks the greenbelt does not need to be threatened, she said: “In Dudley we need more housing but I don’t believe it should be on greenbelt.

“There are so many spaces that are brownfield that we can regenerate, there is enough without having to touch the greenbelt.” 

Secretary of state for housing and deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner MP, expects Dudley to deliver 1,594 new homes each year for the next five years. The council’s plan to be presented for approval by the inspector promises a total of 10,470 new homes by 2041.

The proposed plan also sets a standard of 30% affordable homes on larger sites, a ten percent biodiversity net gain, full fibre for new homes and cash from builders for education and healthcare facilities. 

Cllr Harley wrote to Ms Rayner in August 2024 attacking her target figure, he said: “There is simply not the land supply available. Even if we allocated all available greenbelt, greenfield and brownfield land we would not get anywhere near it.

“It is overambitious, unachievable, and would lead to the loss of great swathes of green land valued by so many in our borough.” 

Labour MP Ms Kumar defended her political colleagues in Westminster. She said: “Angela Rayner and Keir Starmer have not said we are going to attack the greenbelt. 

“The government has helped local councils by bringing in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to strip back and make the process easier for people to plan and build homes.

“I’m not interested in problems, I’m interested in solutions.” 

The first hearing on the Dudley Local Plan takes place on June 10, full details are available on the council’s website.