Birmingham City Council has recommended removing all 21 Green Belt sites from its new Local Plan, effectively axing proposals for more than 8,200 homes in Sutton Coldfield. The move follows a petition signed by 5,500 residents and changes to national planning policy.
What happened
Last December, the council consulted on 19 sites for housing and two for employment on Sutton Coldfield’s Green Belt as part of the Birmingham Local Plan (BLP) covering 2024–2044. The plan proposed 10,415 homes on Green Belt land across the city, with 8,216 in Sutton, plus 18.5 hectares of industrial land. Now a new report recommends deleting all 21 sites from the plan.
Why the change
Councillor Julien Pritchard, deputy leader and cabinet member for economy and skills, said: “There has been significant concern about the amount of potential Green Belt redesignation to Grey Belt sites by residents, specially in the constituency of Sutton Coldfield, which has 17 of the 21 sites across the city, disproportionately affecting one constituency.” He added that the removal aligns with the council’s commitment to brownfield-first regeneration and listening to residents.
Key factors include a change in the National Planning Policy Framework removing the 35% uplift in core city dwelling numbers, and the removal in March 2026 of the legal duty for Birmingham to co-operate with neighbouring authorities on housing land.
Impact on Sutton Coldfield
The 17 Sutton sites would have added to the already-approved Langley (5,500 homes) and Peddimore (71 hectares employment land) developments, neither of which has been built out. Conservative councillor Richard Parkin said: “You have got one chance with the Green Belt. Once it’s gone it’s gone.” He thanked residents for signing the petition over eight months of door-knocking.
The report also recommends designating several Sutton areas as Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) or Sites of Local Importance for Nature Conservation (SLINC), including Wheatmoor Wood & Plantation, Tamworth Road Hedges, and Withy Hill Road Hedges, providing extra protection.
Next steps
The council’s cabinet meets on Tuesday 28 July to consider the recommendations. If approved, a six-week consultation will follow, with a final submission to the Planning Inspectorate by 31 December 2026. Failure to meet the deadline would mean restarting the plan-making process, costing an estimated £1.5 million total, with £1.1 million already spent since 2021.
