Thousands of Stoke-on-Trent residents have lodged objections to the city's controversial planning blueprint. Over the last six weeks Stoke-on-Trent City Council has been holding a public consultation on its local plan, which, once adopted, will guide all development in the city up to 2040.

The draft local plan includes site allocations for 18,528 homes, with more than half of these assigned to locations within the Green Belt. These have been particularly controversial for many residents – four e-petitions on the council website opposing the inclusion of particular Green Belt and greenfield sites have attracted 4,079 names between them.

The council has also received thousands of letters and consultation responses from residents raising concerns over the loss of green spaces, the impact on local roads and services, and the need to develop brownfield sites first. With the initial 'regulation 18' consultation on the draft plan now complete, the city council says that these responses will inform the next version of the plan, which will be subject to a further round of consultation in the spring.

It has already been a bruising process for the council's ruling Labour group, which has been subjected to often intense criticism at public meetings across the city. Former Labour councillor Dave Mountford defected to the new Potteries Party, partly due to the council's proposals to build 800 homes on fields in Packmoor, within his ward.

Banners calling for Norton Green to say green placed around Norton Green (image via LDRS)

Councillor Chris Robinson, cabinet member for housing and planning, said that some sites could be dropped from the plan following the consultation. But he insisted that there is a need to build more houses in Stoke-on-Trent – the city has been set a housebuilding target by the government of 948 homes a year.

Cllr Robinson said: "It's probably going to take about a fortnight to go through all the consultation responses. As well as feedback from residents, we've been contacted by landowners who have asked for their sites to be added to the local plan.

"So we're going to have some sites coming out of the local plan, and other sites coming into it. But one thing that people need to remember is that even if a site is included in the local plan, it doesn't mean that it's definitely going to be developed. There will still need to be a planning application, for the small sites as well as the large sites.

"It's also important to remember that we have a massive housing shortage in this city. We have 3,000 people on the council housing waiting list. And it's not just about building big houses, we'll also be getting housing for older people, like bungalows."

These are some of the more controversial sites in the draft local plan:

BL1- Lightwood – 3,000 homes

This is the single largest site allocation within the draft plan. It would see the removal of most of the Green Belt within the Meir South ward.

A total of 736 people have signed the petition against BL1's inclusion on the council website, which points out that as well as being in the Green Belt, the site also includes a mineral safeguarding area.

Objectors also say that local infrastructure, including roads, schools and GP surgeries, are already under strain.

BL7/BL10 – Norton Green South and North – 3,097 homes in total

These allocations would the existing hamlet of Norton Green expanded to the north and south.

Objectors say this would 'irreversibly change the character of Norton Green', increase traffic congestion and result in the loss of valued green spaces.

Members of Norton Green Residents' Association and ward councillor Dave Evans delivered 1,100 letters of objections to the city council headquarters on Monday.

H58 – Packmoor – 800 homes

The city council is drawing up a masterplan for Packmoor, which will include building up to 800 homes on council-owned farmland next to the village.

These proposals were subject to a separate consultation at the start of the year, with most responses being opposed to any development.

BL5 – Eaves Lane – 1,139 homes

A total of 1,515 people have signed a petition against the inclusion of BL5 in the local plan.

Along with the common objections over loss of green space and local infrastructure, campaigners say that the site has a high risk of flooding, with residents in Eaves Lane already having to use flood barriers.

BL2 – Trentham – 500 homes

Trentham Golf Club wants to sell off land next to the golf course for housing, which residents say will increase traffic problems on the A34 Stone Road.

Separately – and perhaps less controversially – Severn Trent Water wants to earmark land it owns for employment use, in order to fund a link road for Strongford sewage works.

Cllr Robinson says he was not surprised at the level of opposition to some of the site allocations on greenfield and Green Belt sites. He said: "I know that everyone likes green spaces. They're good for people's health and wellbeing, I understand that. But I think we can work with developers to ensure that some green space is retained on these sites.

"Of course we want to develop brownfield sites first. We have four brownfield sites where we'll have spades in the ground very soon. But they're always going to be more expensive to develop than greenfield sites. We've been reliant on funding from Homes England to bring these sites forward."

But opposition Conservative councillor Dave Evans believes the council should be doing more to bring further brownfield sites forward. He said: "Over the last few weeks I've spoken to thousands of residents about the local plan – not just in my ward but across the city. It shows that people in Stoke-on-Trent really value their green spaces and don't want to see them developed.

"I think the level of opposition to the local plan gives the council a mandate to go back to government and ask for more funding make brownfield sites available for development. The council was previously able to secure £10 million of government funding for brownfield sites in Burslem."

The final submission version of the local plan is currently scheduled to go to full council next autumn. If councillors give their backing to this version of the plan, it will be submitted to the government, with a public examination likely to take place in 2027.

Once the planning inspector is satisfied with the local plan, it will be then be adopted by the council.