Sandwell Council may find itself under significant pressure to approve new housing developments on the greener edges of the borough due to sweeping planning reforms proposed by the Labour government.
What the new planning changes mean
The government's proposed changes, designed to fast-track major developments and build 1.5 million new homes across the country, include measures that would force councils to prioritise construction on brownfield sites and so-called 'grey belt' land. This term refers to poorer-quality areas within the protected green belt.
At a council scrutiny meeting held on October 28, Councillor Peter Hughes, Sandwell's cabinet member for regeneration and infrastructure, acknowledged that the proposals "might have some impact" specifically regarding building on the borough's green belt land.
Local impact and housing shortfall
Sandwell Council will be expected to support new housing on this 'grey belt' under the national proposals. Cllr Hughes stated, "We have got various green belt-type of land to the peripheries of our borough which we might have some pressure put on us to actually look at developing." He added that "Things will start to change and move."
Despite the potential for increased pressure, the Labour-run authority indicated that its overall housing targets are "not expected to change much". The number of extra homes required is projected to increase by hundreds rather than thousands.
Councillor Vicki Smith, cabinet member for housing, advised the scrutiny committee: "The number of homes that we have the land to build in Sandwell will not change significantly." She clarified that the current local plan provides for just under 11,500 homes, with this figure increasing by only a few hundred under the new government criteria.
This comes against a backdrop where government formulas indicate a need for land to be provided for more than 26,000 new homes in Sandwell by 2041. This leaves the council with a current shortfall of approximately 15,000 homes, regardless of which plans are eventually adopted.
Ongoing developments and future plans
Sandwell's Local Plan, which outlines where thousands of new homes should be built until 2041, is anticipated to be adopted next year after years of delays. These delays followed the collapse of the collaborative Black Country Plan in 2022.
The borough has already seen controversial development decisions on green spaces. The formerly council-owned Brandhall Golf Course in Oldbury, near the borough's border, was approved for 190 new homes, a new primary school, and a public park in 2024.
More recently, the council added Tippity Green Golf Club in Rowley Regis to its list of development sites, with potential for up to 175 new homes.
