WITH the news huge areas of green belt are to be released in a bid to hit national housing targets following government intervention earlier this year, Wirral Council’s local plan has been in the headlines a lot of late.

That has prompted council officials to explain exactly what the local plan is, as well as clear up some of the misconceptions people may have about the reported plan to release green belt land.

1. Why is a local plan needed?

The local plan is a statutory responsibility. Without an up to date local plan, communities and local authorities cannot properly control how an area can be developed.

They can lose control over planning applications – and new housing, industrial or commercial developments can potentially be implemented without local oversight. If done properly, a local plan can protect open spaces and the countryside, and prevent what’s known as “urban sprawl”.

2. What happens if a local plan isn’t developed by the council?

Put simply, the government will come and do it itself.

Wirral council has been told by UK Government ministers that it must develop a new local plan – and that it must include a green belt review.

Ministers have threatened if the council doesn’t meet their timetable, they will take it out of the local authority’s hands.

A spokesman said: “We believe the local plan should always be underpinned by local knowledge and reflect the views of local people.”

3. Why does the council need to release some green belt to complete the local plan?

A government target for housing building in Wirral means there must be enough land for 800 new homes every year for the next 15 years – 12,000 in total.

Because there isn’t enough brownfield or urban land to meet that need, the council says it must explore opening the green belt to meet the target.

A spokesman said: “The sites which are being proposed to be removed from the green belt would be enough to satisfy these government targets, while more than a third of Wirral’s total land mass would remain classified as green belt. Parks and other open spaces are also protected by other policies and protection orders, even if they are outside the green belt.”

4. Can’t the council just develop brownfield sites instead?

The local authority says it simply doesn’t have enough land to do so. “Every square inch” of brownfield land has been investigated, and the council says it is supporting and working alongside developers to urge them to get those sites developed and new homes built. The council owns “hardly any” sites, so needs local landowners to cooperate.

5. Who will actually build these houses? Will it be the council?

“Very little” of the land that is proposed to be removed from the Green Belt is owned by the council – the vast majority is in private ownership.

It is for other landowners and house builders to come forward and develop the new homes the government has demanded.

The council would then use its planning powers to ensure all of the developments were suitable and acceptable to local people and met local residents’ needs.

The council said as it doesn’t own the land, it will not be making money from selling it to developers.

The local authority said there is “potentially an increase” in the overall tax base from more homes and more residents, but that also brings extra costs from more bin collections, more roads to maintain and more public services to provide.

“We will be launching a comprehensive consultation on the local plan soon and we want everyone in Wirral to take part, tell us their views and ideas,” a spokesman added.