COUNCILLORS are locked on collision course over plans to build thousands of new homes on Wirral's Green Belt.

Consultation on the town hall's "Local Plan" for housing across the borough has been launched this week.

Tories say Labour has been so late in drafting the document that it should be scrapped.

The plan is a statutory requirement which guides where housing and other developments can be built in an area.

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

Deputy council leader Cllr George Davies, cabinet member for housing and planning, said: "Wirral must have a Local Plan and Wirral residents must have their say in shaping it.

"As part of a national house building target, Government has told Wirral we must identify enough land to allow for 12,000 new homes to be built by 2035.

"We know, and so do Government ministers, that we do not have enough brownfield or urban land to enable that scale of house-building, and as a consequence, will have to consider releasing land from the Green Belt.

"I have also written to the Peel Group today, echoing the concerns about their under-performance at Wirral Waters.

"Peel holds valuable planning approvals to build 13,500 homes at Wirral Waters but today – nearly a decade later - zero homes have been built

"This cannot go on.

"Our hand is being forced."

Wirral's Conservative group leader Ian Lewis told the Globe: "This work on the local plan is starting 14 years late, for the sake of Wirral's Green Belt let's hope it's not too late.

"They've already given away green belt at Saughall Massie for development and are still working on half-baked plans to build on green belt at Hoylake.

"If the Labour cabinet is serious about wanting to protect our green belt, they'll drop that plan and put more effort into redeveloping those parts of the borough that need it – such as Egremont, New Ferry and Liscard."

Councillor George Davies said: "Wirral Tories don't seem to understand that completing a Local Plan is a legal requirement.

"Clearly Cllr Lewis is out of the loop and his friends in Westminster - who are forcing our hand to look at releasing land in the Green Belt - haven't kept him up to speed with Government policy.

"It is Ministers in Whitehall  setting unreasonable targets for Wirral. We believe local people should determine what housing should be built and where.

"Instead of playing politics, perhaps Mr Lewis should make better use of his time and have a word with his friends in Parliament so we can put an end to Wirral's Green Belt threat."

Cllr Stuart Kelly, Lib Dem group planning spokesman, said: "Wirral council cabinet were keen to lay the blame for this everywhere, Government and Peel, except at their own door, even though it's apparent that the council has not produced a local plan within the timescale that most other authorities have managed to do.

"The cabinet ought to be questioning the robustness of the projected housing requirement over 15 years.

"The figure bears no resemblance to historic patterns of population growth or development in Wirral, nor does it match projected household growth in the census.

"it's as if a figure has just seems to have been plucked out of the air.

"The situation with Peel is frustrating but name calling will not help."

A spokeswoman for Peel Land and Property said last week: "We are acutely aware that meeting local housing needs is a critical issue and brownfield developments, like Wirral Waters, are essential to delivering any local housing strategy.

"We remain absolutely committed to house building on the Wirral Waters site and, with both Enterprise Zone status and Housing Zone status, we are in a unique position to deliver this.

“In March, we announced three major housing projects set to bring over 1,000 new homes to the area and these first three projects are essential in creating market confidence in an area that has seen decades of underinvestment.

"This is a long-term project and, as with most brownfield developments, collaboration between developers, local authorities and central government is critical.

"Our ultimate target of 13,000 units can only be delivered with true partnership working and with the right investment in infrastructure.”