West Midlands Green Belt

The West Midlands Green Belt is a statutory green belt environmental and planning policy that regulates the rural space within the West Midlands region of England. It is contained within the counties of the West Midlands, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Essentially, the function of the green belt is to more rigorously manage development around the cities, towns and villages in the large West Midlands conurbations centred around Birmingham and Coventry, discouraging convergence.^[1] It is managed by local planning authorities on guidance from central government.

Map of the West Midlands Green Belt showing extents, districts and counties.

  Green belt

  District borders

  County borders

Geography

Land area taken up by the green belt is 231,291 hectares (571,530 acres), 1.7% of the total land area of England (2019).^[2][3] Tracts of green belt lie within the West Midlands county itself, much of it by the Meriden Gap in Solihull borough; however, the vast coverage of the green belt completely envelops the county.

The green belt stretches from Stafford and Telford through to Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, and Rugby. There is a small isolated portion of green belt separating Droitwich Spa and Worcester.^[3] The Stoke-on-Trent and Burton upon Trent/Swadlincote green belts lie around 10 miles (16 km) to the north.

Due to the West Midlands green belt extending across several counties, responsibility and co-ordination lies with the many local district councils whose land covers the green belt, as these are the local planning government bodies.

Green belt locations

County	District council	Key inset areas	Outlying places
Shropshire	Shropshire^[4]	Albrighton, Shifnal	Telford
Staffordshire	Cannock Chase^[5]^[6]	Cannock, Norton Canes	Rugeley
	Lichfield^[7]^[8]	Burntwood, Shenstone	Lichfield
	South Staffordshire^[9]^[10]	Codsall, Great Wyrley, Wombourne	Penkridge
	Stafford^[11]^[12]^[13]	Cannock Chase AONB	Stafford
	Tamworth^[14]		Tamworth
Warwickshire	North Warwickshire^[15]	Coleshill	Atherstone
	Nuneaton and Bedworth^[15]	Bedworth, Bulkington	Nuneaton
	Rugby^[15]	Binley Woods, Long Lawford, Wolston	Rugby
	Stratford-on-Avon^[15]	Alcester, Henley-in-Arden, Studley	Stratford-upon-Avon
	Warwick^[15]	Kenilworth	Warwick, Royal Leamington Spa
West Midlands	Birmingham^[16]^[17]	Sutton Coldfield
	Coventry^[15]	Brownshill Green
	Dudley^[10]
	Sandwell^[10]
	Solihull^[18]	Balsall Common, Bentley Heath, Cheswick Green, Dickins Heath, Hampton-in-Arden, Meriden
	Walsall^[10]
	Wolverhampton^[10]
Worcestershire	Bromsgrove^[19]^[20]	Alvechurch, Barnt Green, Bromsgrove, Hollywood
	Redditch^[21]	Feckenham
	Worcester^[22]^[23]	Claines	Worcester
	Wychavon^[22]^[23]	Hartlebury, Martin Hussingtree, Wychbold	Droitwich Spa
	Wyre Forest^[24]	Kidderminster	Bewdley

References

1. Fawcett, Tony. "Green Belts: A greener future - Campaign to Protect Rural England".
2. "Green Belts in England: Key facts - A series of factsheets on England's 14 Green Belts".
3. "CPRE - WEST MIDLANDS GREEN BELT" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
4. "Shropshire Green Belt Assessment - FINAL REPORT - Prepared by LUC - September 2017" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
5. "Cannock Chase Green Belt Study - Final Report for Cannock Chase District Council - Prepared by LUC - March 2016" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
6. "Evidence Base". Cannock Chase District Council. 22 July 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
7. "Lichfield District Council - Green Belt Review 2019 - September 2019".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
8. Council, Lichfield District. "Green belt review". Lichfield District Council. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
9. "South Staffordshire Partial Green Belt Review - Method Statement - Prepared for South Staffordshire District Council by LUC - January 2014".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
10. "Black Country Green Belt assessment". blackcountryplan.dudley.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
11. "The Plan for Stafford Borough: Part 2 - 2011-2031" (PDF). 2.19 In Stafford Borough there are two areas of Green Belt; around the North Staffordshire conurbation and in the south eastern area of the Borough which includes Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
12. "The Plan for Stafford Borough - 2011 - 2031 - Adopted - 19 June 2014" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
13. "The Plan for Stafford Borough - Adopted Policies Maps" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
14. "Tamworth Borough Council - Green Belt Review 2014" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
15. "Coventry & Warwickshire Joint Green Belt Study" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
16. "Green Infrastructure Network".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
17. "PG1 Green Belt Assessment 2013.pdf | Birmingham City Council". www.birmingham.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
18. "Solihull Strategic Green Belt Assessment: Assessment Report - JULY 2016" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
19. "Green Belt Purposes - Part One - Assessment: Strategic Assessment of the Green Belt Purposes - August 2019 Version - Bromsgrove District Council" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
20. "Green Belt Purposes Assessment". www.bromsgrove.gov.uk. 19 April 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
21. "A Study of Green Belt Land & Areas of Development Restraint within Redditch Borough -- Borough of Redditch Core Strategy - Background Document - 27 October 08" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
22. "South Worcestershire Green Belt Assessment (Malvern Hills, Worcester and Wychavon) - Part 1: Strategic Assessment of Green Belt Purposes - Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions UK Limited – October 2018" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
23. "South Worcestershire Development Plan - Green Belt Study".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
24. Council, Wyre Forest District. "Local Plan review evidence base - Green Belt". archive.wyreforestdc.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2021.

External links

• Interactive map of green belt land