Residents are continuing to fight controversial proposals to build hundreds of homes in their community in Stoke-on-Trent.

It comes as Stoke-on-Trent City Council is set to begin the final round of consultation on its local plan before sending it for inspection at the end of the year.

The local plan will guide all development in the city until 2040 – with the Government telling Stoke-on-Trent to build 19,040 new homes by 2040. The latest consultation will run from August 3 to September 14.

Now residents in Baddeley Green have attended a public meeting to hear the latest plans for the Baddeley, Milton and Norton ward.

The new plan has:

• 747 homes at Redhills Road – up from 188
• 138 homes on the old Royal Doulton site – unchanged
• 1,750 homes at Chatterley Whitfield – up from 1,500
• 270 homes at Norton Green South – down from 2,278
• 250 homes at Norton Green North – down from 819

Residents in Baddeley, Milton and Norton had lodged 3,000 complaints regarding the previous plan.

Councillor Dave Evans told the Baddeley Green Club meeting: "We did have some victories last year – it wasn't for nothing. Norton Green had their allocation reduced so they were going to be subject to 3,000 houses. They are still getting smashed but only by 500.

"This consultation this time is different. Last year was about having your say on the sites, having your say on alternative sites, promoting alternative ideas."

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The new consultation will focus on whether the local plan has been positively prepared, whether it is justified and effective, and whether it is consistent with national planning policy.

Mr Evans added: "The plan says we shouldn't build where it floods, the plan says that Baddeley Green is a hot-spot for flooding but then the plan also puts a site in Baddeley Green that floods into it, so it's not sound. Those are the sort of arguments we need to make.

"The next stage of the local plan process is the public examination with the planning inspector. The inspector is not elected by you, they are not members of the city council, they're not members of any political party, they are for the most part truly independent.

"They look at the plan, from a soundness perspective. They also need to look at the plan to say has the council done everything that is reasonable to listen to the public.

"Which means we need to give them the evidence base to suggest they haven't. You can and I would encourage you at the time to make representations directly to the public examination. However, there is a catch, if you do not participate in this consultation you can't make representations to the public examination."