Campaigners vow to fight Foxcote Farm green belt homes plans
Campaigners have pledged to continue their fight against controversial plans to build 1,500 homes on green belt land.
An action plan in the battle against the development at Foxcote Farm in Wollescote, Stourbridge, was discussed at the latest public meeting which was attended by around 50 people.
Alan Lunt, deputy chief executive of Dudley Council, delivered a presentation and sought to reassure concerned residents their views would be taken to account. Council leader Patrick Harley also attended.
A public consultation on the plans is expected to be held next summer before a decision is made on the development.
It features alongside several plans to build new homes on green belt land to solve the Black Country housing shortage.
A campaign against plans to develop Seven Cornfields bordering South Staffordshire, Wolverhampton and parts of Dudley borough is under way.
Wollescote ward councillor Tim Crumpton, who called the Foxcote meeting on Wednesday, said he intended to push for the final decision to be made by the full council rather than the cabinet.
He also said he hoped various campaign groups would come together to form a single body to represent the views of the public.
Councillor Crumpton said: "People were happy with the fact somebody came along to give information. It was done in a calm way it was all really amicable - I wouldn't have it any other way
"He (Mr Lunt) was simply saying we have to follow the process because if we don't we could fall foul of the developers."
However, Councillor Crumpton admitted he was frustrated Mr Lunt wasn't able to say how many homes were needed specifically in the Dudley borough as part of the housing strategy for the next decade.
He fears Black Country boroughs will be asked to pick up the slack for Birmingham, where housing chiefs are struggling to identify space for new homes.
He added: "He kept quoting figures in for the Black Country as a whole but we were talking about our land in Dudley.
"Dudley is a different animal to Sandwell. Wolverhampton is a city for goodness sake and two areas surrounding it are green."
