A REPORT which proposes a ‘garden town’ could be built on Bromsgrove’s green belt has been blasted for disregarding parish council neighbourhood plans.

The Hearn report, which featured on this week’s front page, suggested a new settlement of 10,000 to 15,000 homes could be built on land between Alvechurch and Barnt Green to meet housing demand in the West Midlands.

It comes at a time Bromsgrove District Council is already conducting a review on land in order to provide a further 2,300 homes between 2023 and 2030.

And Alvechurch Parish Council is also nearing the final stages of its own neighbourhood plan to review development – two things which Hagley West cllr Steve Colella feels are being ignored.

He also hit out at district MP and housing minister Sajid Javid for declining to comment on the issue.

He said: “I don’t think he (Sajid Javid) fully appreciates how willing parish councils are trying to manage neighbourhood plans.

“This type of report gives no certainty to the process.

“It fails to recognise the co-operation that parish councils are providing.

“We should remember that neighbourhood planning came out of ‘Localism’ where development and housing needs should be informed from grass roots upwards.

“But this just shows it is government downloading its policy upon those that it will affect.”

Alvechurch Village cllr Kate van der Plank added: “Both Bromsgrove and Alvechurch Councils are already reviewing development opportunities in the area.

“To disregard these in favour of a hurried and ill thought out desk-top report put together by consultants in London would be totally ridiculous.”

Bromsgrove council co-commissioned the report with 13 other local authorities, but said it does not accept the proposals, which it will consult on with residents in June.