CAMPAIGNERS trying to save Halesowen’s greenbelt from developers have celebrated the council’s decision to suspend a review into the protected land – but warned there is still a long battle ahead.

Dudley Council has been analysing which parts of greenbelt would be made available for new homes and industry, but this has been halted as the review was not agreed on by the authority’s cabinet.

A joint statement announcing the suspension was issued on Friday from leader Councillor Patrick Harley, deputy leader Cllr David Vickers, Mick Freer of Save Halesowen’s Countryside and Halesowen and Rowley Regis MP James Morris.

It said: “Following a meeting of campaigners, councillors and council officers, Cllr Patrick Harley has instructed senior officers of Dudley Council to suspend the review into Dudley’s greenbelt.

“In June 2017 the cabinet agreed to a 10 week consultation on the Black Country Core Strategy, however at the same time a green belt review was initiated. This review was not agreed by the cabinet and was not part of the cabinet agenda.

“In order for members of the public to have faith in the process and decisions of the council it must be seen to be doing them transparently and fairly. This decision has been made for exactly these reasons.”

Concerns had also been raised by councillors of all parties at the authority’s recent scrutiny meeting regarding the wording of the public consultation, while the committee also asked the council to make the consultation responses public, as well as ensure they were presented to the cabinet and campaigners for further review.

Cllr Harley has since agreed to this, with further talks to take place in the coming months between campaigners, councillors and officers to discuss the next steps.

Contractors had been appointed by the four Black Country borough councils to search for sites where a possible 22,000 properties and 300 hectares of industries can go to meet the region’s growing population by 2036 – despite the fact that Dudley borough has enough brownfield land to satisfy its own demand.

But council officers say the review needs to be carried out to protect the “most-valuable” parts of the region’s greenbelt.

Lead campaigner Mr Freer, project co-ordinator at Halesowen Abbey Trust, told the News: “It has taken a tremendous amount of hard work to get the councillors to understand what is going on.

“I’m not into party politics, but I must commend James Morris who has been fully supportive of our work throughout and gave a very detailed presentation to the council at our meeting on Friday.

“This is a small victory, but the threat to our greenbelt is still there and we are entering a very dangerous time.

“We need to keep the pressure up as we are only at the start of a very long process.”