EVER SINCE I was first elected last July, I have fought to protect our precious greenbelt.
I have been warning about the Labour Government’s decision to increase the mandatory housing target for Bromsgrove by 84.7 per cent and what this could mean for our constituency – especially when, at the same time, the Government has reduced Birmingham’s housing target by almost 20 per cent.
Now, following the publication of Bromsgrove District Council’s Draft Local Plan for future development within our area, we can see what this means in reality.
Residents have my full support in opposing proposals that will destroy our countryside, which aren’t designed to the highest standards and where there is no new supporting infrastructure.
Our constituency is 89 per cent greenbelt, and our rural identity, which serves as a strategic buffer between rural Worcestershire and urban Birmingham, is under serious threat of erosion because of the Government’s ill-considered and political plans to bulldoze the countryside.
When I was elected last year, I was given a mandate to fight against inappropriate greenbelt development to protect our rural way of life.
I have been doing this, raising it with the Deputy Prime Minister in the House of Commons – twice within the last few months.
Whilst an MP has no formal role in the planning process and cannot stop planning applications, I will be responding to Bromsgrove District Council’s consultation to express my deep concerns at these plans on behalf of my constituents, who are rightly dismayed at the devastating impact they will have on our countryside and rural identity.
I also believe that, for too long, the planning system has prioritised mediocrity, and local people are fed up with identikit red-brick monotony destroying the character of our towns and villages with little respect for heritage and local character.
People are rightly concerned new housing often isn’t complementary to their community and that it will not be a worthy addition to their neighbourhood.
It is crucial Bromsgrove District Council produces mandatory design codes, in consultation with local people, to ensure future housing it approves is built to the highest possible design standards with the interests of local people first, rather than large developers.
The Local Plan, and where development takes place, is devolved by government to our council meaning it is Bromsgrove District Councillors who will decide where new housing goes.
From June 30 to September 22, Bromsgrove District Council will hold a consultation – bromsgroveplan.commonplace.is – and I encourage as many local people as possible to respond and input their views.
I will continue to engage with concerned residents and the local community in the weeks and months ahead to ensure we’re in the best position possible to fight any proposals that may come forward as an actual planning application.
23rd Jun, 2026
