Walsall Council is set to approve the release of several green belt plots for housing in the latest Walsall Borough Local Plan, a move that has drawn significant public opposition. Cabinet members will meet on July 22 to endorse the document, which guides developers on suitable areas for housing and employment land across the borough.
Government Housing Target Drives Plan
The authority has produced the plan in response to government orders to deliver 20,000 new homes between 2027 and 2042. The first draft, approved by the previous Conservative council in October 2025, triggered a consultation that drew the most objections to proposed green belt housing sites.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, sites that received the most opposition include 580 homes next to York's Bridge in Pelsall, 978 homes at Yardfield Farm on Stafford Road in Bloxwich, and 363 homes at Birch Lane in Aldridge. Other heavily contested allocations are 1,070 homes at Black Cock Farm in Walsall Wood, 1,000 homes at Calderfields golf course, and 771 homes on a plot at Queslett Road between Aldridge Road and Doe Bank Lane.
Black Cock Farm Removed, Grey Belt Sites Added
Despite the objections, all these sites remain in the latest local plan except Black Cock Farm, which has been removed entirely. Four sites previously designated as green belt have now been reallocated as grey belt and added to the plan: 135 homes off Skip Lane, 55 homes in Northfield Way in Clayhanger, 52 homes west of Clayhanger Lane, and 77 homes at Pool View in Rushall.
Subject to cabinet approval on July 22, a further six-week consultation will run until mid-September. Following that, officers will make any remaining changes before the final submission to the Secretary of State by the December 31, 2026 deadline.
Plan Covers Three-Quarters of Target
With the latest plan, the council is on track to meet around three-quarters of the required 20,000-home target. Failing to meet the deadline would put the council at further risk of losing planning decisions on appeal and failing to address the borough's housing needs, according to council officials.
