Aldridge Residents Rally Against Green Belt Housing Plans Amid Infrastructure Fears
Residents in Aldridge have voiced strong opposition to proposals that would see thousands of homes constructed on green belt land, forming the action group Stop the Build on Aldridge Green Belt. The community fears not only environmental devastation but also congested roads, a lack of schools, and the loss of valuable farmland.
Government Directive Sparks Local Plan
In October 2025, Walsall Council released its draft Walsall Borough Local Plan, a document allocating several plots of land across the borough for housing development. This blueprint was created in response to a government directive to build 1.85 million homes within five years. In the Aldridge and Brownhills area alone, sites have been allocated for over 7,000 homes, with more than 4,000 located at just four key sites: Queslett Road, Calderfields, Black Cock Farm, and Home Farm on Lichfield Road.
This substantial figure does not include several developments on sites not allocated in the draft local plan, such as proposals for 500 homes on Bosty Lane and the recently approved Longwood Lane development of 115 homes.
Community Action and Outrage
Aldridge residents Christine and Derek Edwards, a husband-and-wife duo, founded the Stop the Build on Aldridge Green Belt group after attending a consultation meeting in July last year for 355 homes at Druid’s Heath. Christine, 73, expressed her horror at the plans, stating, “We went to the meeting and it really fuelled us to think that this cannot be right. We were horrified, as were most residents, so from then on we started leafleting.”
She added, “There’s a lot of anger, denial and almost inevitability. I don’t believe in that word because nothing is inevitable. If it’s wrong it’s wrong, and this is wrong. The absolute devastation is sacrilege, and it’s all being done on the back of the government’s reclassification of the green belt to grey belt.”
Infrastructure Concerns Highlighted
David Smith, 68, chair of the action group, raised serious concerns about local infrastructure, noting, “It’s already very difficult to get into the doctors, extremely difficult to get into the dentist. We’ve been trying to find out from the health services about the capacity and what they are planning to do. So far no answer at all.” He emphasized that while some sites may be appropriate for housebuilding, others are not, particularly citing the Stonnall Road site as farmer’s land.
Local resident Connor McCormack, 27, echoed these sentiments, saying, “I don’t want houses on our green belt, it’s completely wrong. We lose our local identity. I’d like to be on the property ladder but it’s so wrong it’s on the green belt. I hope this is a wake up call for the people who voted for the government who have brought this in.”
Affordability and Political Perspectives
Christine Edwards also questioned the affordability of the proposed housing, stating, “These developments are always promoted on affordable housing. A two bedroom ex-council maisonette round the corner is valued at £200k plus. So you tell me if a three-bedroom house here is going to be affordable? No way.”
Jonjo McNamara, chief of staff for Aldridge Brownhills MP Wendy Morton, warned that the situation could deteriorate further due to changes in the National Planning Policy Framework. He explained, “We are going to be submerged into a greater Birmingham, that’s the real danger. We lack the infrastructure to deal with the amount and scale we’re talking about. It’s only going to get worse because of further changes to the National Planning Policy Framework where the government reduces the five green belt criteria down to three, and the main one they want to get rid of is green belt for protecting urban sprawl.”
Council Response and Ongoing Process
Councillor Adrian Andrew, deputy leader at Walsall Council, responded to the concerns, stating, “The council must prepare a local plan following instruction by central government, and this sadly includes reviewing the Green Belt. If the council does not submit a local plan by the government deadline, then there will be much less control over where developments can be built.”
He added that officers are currently reviewing thousands of comments from the consultation and that no decisions have been made about which sites might be included in the next stage of the plan, Regulation 19. Andrew emphasized, “A major purpose of the local plan is to ensure that sufficient infrastructure is provided, and the council is working with service providers including education and the NHS to identify their needs. We now have planning by appeal with little regard given to the concerns of local people.”
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been approached for a statement regarding the ongoing dispute.
