Residents are fighting council plans to earmark greenfield sites in their area for thousands of new homes.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council's draft local plan includes site allocations for 18,528 homes, with around 5,000 of these allocated to sites in the Baddeley, Milton and Norton ward.

The council is proposing to take large areas out of the Green Belt at Ball Green, Norton Green and Baddeley Edge to make them available for development.

Greenfield land next to the Doulton estate in Baddeley Green, which has been subject to a planning application for 138 homes since 2022, is also included in the site allocations.

Around 100 residents attended a public meeting in Baddeley Green to discuss the local plan, organised by ward councillor Dave Evans, with many expressing anger at the local plan proposals.

Cllr Evans believes the local plan would 'fundamentally change' the nature of the largely rural ward, and urged residents to respond to a public consultation set to begin next month.

Norton Green North, Green Belt land which has been earmarked for 819 homes in Stoke-on-Trent's draft local plan. (LDRS)

He said: "We can make it very clear to the current council administration that this area is different to the rest of the area. We're a rural area, we're the only area in Stoke-on-Trent that has small villages, and which has extensive Green Belt.

"This council has wrongly taken the decision to shove their housing target in our Green Belt. I could tell you where I think the council should shove their housing target.

"But in all seriousness it is massively important that people respond to the consultation."

Once adopted, the local plan will guide all development in Stoke-on-Trent up to the year 2040 – although planning approval will still be required for individual developments.

The draft plan proposes taking 11 'broad locations' out of the Green Belt and earmarking them for housing.

An area between Ball Green and Bemersley Green, including the former Ball Green High School site, has been earmarked for 1,500 homes in the draft plan, while two Green Belt sites on either side of Norton Green are allocated 3,097 homes.

Redrow Homes submitted a planning application for 138 homes in Baddeley Green in 2022, but the city council has yet to make a decision on the proposals. It is understood that there are concerns over flooding on the site.

Land at Baddeley Green, which is subject to a planning application for 138 homes, and has been included in Stoke-on-Trent's draft local plan. (LDRS)

Cllr Evans says that the difficulties experienced with the site means it should not be included in the local plan. He said: "After five years the planning authority has not been able to bring that site forward for a decision.

"That tells me that the site can't be made viable, and therefore it shouldn't be included in the local plan. The local plan will make it harder for the council to control what ends up going on that site.

"That's my big concern. There are brownfield sites across the city which would be much better."

The city council is under pressure to include Green Belt and greenfield land in the local plan after being set a target of delivering 948 homes a year by the government. But residents who attended the meeting believe the council should be looking at previously developed land instead of their ward.

Anne Smith, from Norton Green, said: "They should be building on brownfield sites before they start doing this. There's so much nature around by us, and places for people to walk which is good for their mental health.

"And these are probably going to be expensive houses, which will be bought by people coming in from out of the area – they're not going to be for local people. Or you'll be sucking people out of the city and making the centre even quieter."

One Milton resident, who did not want to give his name, said: "They're looking at building houses in places where it will have an absolutely disastrous impact on the local environment.

"They know these sites are unsuitable so why are they putting them in the local plan? They should be pushing back against government over these housing targets, instead of expecting us to do it for them."

Residents at the meeting also expressed anger at the absence of the ward's other councillors, Carl Edwards and Duncan Walker.

Cllr Walker, who is a member of the cabinet, previously expressed his opposition to the Norton Green site allocations.

The consultation on the draft local plan is due to run from September 8 to October 20.