Birmingham City Council has identified over a dozen sites within Sutton Coldfield’s Green Belt for potential housing development, despite ongoing delays in building on previously released land at Langley. Eight years after Langley near Walmley was removed from Green Belt protections and earmarked for 5,500 homes, the council is consulting on a new Local Plan extending to 2044 that could see thousands more houses constructed in Sutton Coldfield.
The existing Local Plan, adopted in 2017 and covering up to 2031, aimed to address housing needs but left a shortage of employment land. The updated planning framework recognizes that Birmingham—and its neighboring authorities—must substantially increase housing supply, possibly driving additional demands on Birmingham under the ‘duty to cooperate’ principle.
A recent council document highlights the city’s capacity for nearly 100,000 new homes by 2044, with 57,049 homes expected from proposed allocations including Langley. During a ‘Call for Sites’ process, promoters put forward 21 Green Belt areas across Birmingham for potential development, providing space for 10,415 homes and 18.5 hectares of employment land. Remarkably, 15 of the 19 housing sites and both industrial land proposals are located in Sutton Coldfield, which holds the largest portion of the city’s Green Belt.
READ MORE: Nationwide Announces Mortgage Rate Reductions for Existing Customers Starting Thursday
READ MORE: Four Million UK Households to Receive Automatic Cold Weather Payment to Help with Heating Costs
Among these sites, many are classified as ‘grey belt’—lands within the Green Belt with previous development or limited Green Belt value—such as those at Fox Hill, Withy Hill, and Bassetts Pole. These grey belt areas offer space for approximately 5,600 homes and most of the proposed industrial developments.
Here are the key Sutton Coldfield Green Belt residential sites listed by potential housing capacity, noting which are considered grey belt:
- Withy Hill – 2,000 homes (grey belt)
- Fox Hill – 1,500 homes (grey belt)
- Land north of Sutton Coldfield – 1,500 homes
- Land south of Withy Hill Road – 1,100 homes (grey belt)
- Land north of Roughley – 650 homes (grey belt)
- Land south of Hillwood Road, Roughley – 500 homes
- New Hall Golf Course and Country Park – 300 homes (grey belt)
- Land at Hillside Farm, Roughley – 250 homes (grey belt)
- Land at Dale Farm, Roughley – 100 homes (grey belt)
- Land off Kempson Avenue, Wylde Green – 80 homes (grey belt)
- Colletts Brook Farm, Fox Hill – 60 homes (grey belt; recommended for exclusion due to potential Green Belt fragmentation)
- Land at Blake Street/Ryknild Close, Hill Hook Road – 60 homes (grey belt)
- Land at Walmley Golf Club – 60 homes (grey belt)
- Land at The Bungalow, Worcester Lane – 50 homes (grey belt)
- Country Park View (near The Avenue), Walmley – 6 homes (grey belt)
Beyond Sutton Coldfield, other Green Belt sites proposed include Frankley (1,000 homes), Wast Hills (800 homes), Maypole (350 homes), and Gressel Lane, Tile Cross (49 homes).
Industrial land proposals, both in Sutton Coldfield, include:
- Land west of Bassetts Pole – 16.4 hectares (grey belt; recommended for exclusion due to potential harm to Green Belt integrity)
- Minworth Greaves – 2.1 hectares (grey belt)
The council is clear these listings represent potential development locations submitted by site promoters and do not signal council approval or suitability. Any grey belt site allocation will require thorough assessments, including landscape impact and sustainable transport considerations.
Residents have been invited to give feedback on the council’s Focused Preferred Options Document for the draft Local Plan. The consultation deadline was extended to Friday, December 19, following local councillor lobbying. Feedback can be submitted by email to [email protected], including the commenter’s full name and address.
This consultation is part of an ongoing process, with the final Birmingham Local Plan scheduled for release next June, followed by a six-week public consultation.