WIRRAL'S three main political parties all oppose building on the borough’s green belt – yet disagree with each other about the 12,000 homes needed for the local plan.

The ruling Labour party as well as the opposition Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups have all submitted a notice of motion ahead of an extraordinary council meeting to be held next week.

It’s been called over fears that swathes of the green belt could be released for development, and all three parties have made their views clear on how they feel the council should proceed.

While all three broadly oppose any of Wirral’s green spaces being built upon, they have different views on how the local authority should proceed, after it was identified as one of 15 that had failed to produce a local plan.

The Government has reportedly told Wirral it has until 2035 to build 12,000 homes, and a public consultation into the move is already underway.

Ahead of Monday’s meeting at Wallasey Town Hall, here’s each party’s stance on the situation, and what they think is the best way to proceed.

Labour

Labour said developing green belt sites “must always be a last resort”, and rejected comments made by cabinet minister Liz Truss that planning laws should be “ripped up” for homes to be built in the countryside. It also said it was against top-down housing targets “which fail to take into account the housing needs of areas like Wirral”.

The Labour group said it will also continue to urge owners of brownfield land to develop new housing “as a matter of urgency”, as well as examine all possible options including the use of compulsory purchase orders.

Following on from the decisions made by the cabinet in July, the party said there is “insufficient brownfield land” to accommodate the 12,000 target, and there is simply “no alternative”.

The motion, which was proposed by deputy leader Cllr George Davies and seconded by leader Cllr Phil Davies, finished by saying it encourages local residents to take part in the consultation process.

Conservatives

Mentioning the 12,000 target, the Conservatives’ notice of motion said they should come from Wirral’s “6,000 currently empty properties” and the “up to 6,500” homes Peel Holdings say they are on track to provide at Wirral Waters.

The party also said it recognised the “valuable role” of the green belt in halting urban sprawl, preserving the character of historic towns, and encouraging the recycling of derelict and urban land.

Proposed by Cllr Chris Blakeley and seconded by Cllr David Burgess-Joyce, the statement added: “Council requests the Cabinet to work with empty home owners, Peel Holdings and other developers including the Wirral Growth Company, in order to deliver Wirral’s housing needs to ensure that there is no inappropriate development on Green Belt land.”

The councillors even went as far as quoting council leader Phil Davies when he said last year he was “resolute” that the green belt would not be built upon.

Liberal Democrats

The council’s third biggest party said it is “time to choose” between the green belt or Wirral Waters.

The Lib Dems said in their notice of motion questions have been asked about the accuracy of how much the population will increase in Wirral over the coming years, and that a review of the 12,000 figure is needed.

It said that nearly 6,500 homes could be built at Wirral Waters, meaning there is “no requirement for any release of land for development from the green belt”.

The notice added: “Council further agrees with Peel that Wirral Waters can only be delivered with true and honest collaboration and genuine partnership working. Council therefore calls on Cabinet to work with, rather than against, Peel Land and Property Group to this end.”