AROUND 150 people furious at proposals to build thousands of homes on Wirral's green belt took to the town hall in protest tonight.

They were there ahead of an extraordinary meeting called due to fears swathes of green spaces could be released for development.

At Wallasey Town Hall, all three Wirral political parties made their views clear on how they feel the council should proceed.

The Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups submitted notices of motion ahead of the meeting, where dozens of opposition councillors voiced their anger at the suggested plans, while Labour members defended the ruling group's decisions.

The meeting, which became heated at times, came after the Government reportedly told Wirral it has until 2035 to build 12,000 homes, with a public consultation into the move already underway.

Addressing the meeting and a packed out public gallery, Conservative Cllr Chris Blakeley said his party was "not prepared to allow green belt land to be built on", adding that it was a "jewel in Wirral's crown".

Mentioning the 12,000 homes target, he said that number 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 the Wirral Waters housing development by 2035.

He also said the party 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.

He added: "With Labour's existing track record, do they really want people to believe they are opposed to building on the green belt?"

Fellow Conservative, Cllr Cherry Povall added: "The figures bandied about are totally unrealistic, bearing no real perception of what future housing demand in Wirral is expected to be."

She also said the council was attempting to "cover up their gross dereliction of duty".

The Conservative group also spoke about a letter circulated before the meeting written by Wirral Waters chief Richard Mawdsley, who slammed the council for "grossly misrepresenting" the figures in a letter sent to all residents.

He referred to the 2,400 number mentioned in the council letter as Wirral Waters' "minimum trajectory" of how many homes it can deliver.

It added: "Your actions do nothing to encourage much-needed outside investment into Birkenhead.

"Be honest with the people of Wirral and correct the misleading information you are distributing."

Responding to the claims, cabinet member for housing, Labour Cllr George Davies accused the opposition of "swallowing PR and spin".

He said developing on green belt sites "must always be a last resort", rejecting comments made by government minister Liz Truss that planning laws should be "ripped up" for homes to be built in the countryside.

He also said his party was against top-down housing targets "which fail to take into account the housing needs of areas like Wirral".

He added: "Our administration policy is very much brownfield sites first. We value our open spaces and always want to protect as many spaces as we can."

Speaking about statements from the Conservatives and Peel, he said: "It's pure political posturing that does nothing to solve the green belt problem, created by friends and colleagues in Westminster. Wirral Tories cannot decide what to do or what not to do when it comes to the green belt."

Also addressing the meeting, Labour Cllr Jerry Williams called the 12,000 figure a "governmental juggernaut that could destroy Wirral as we know it".

He added: "Here we have a Government setting top-down, one-size-fits-all targets that do not relate to demographics of the area, living in a fantasy world."

Council leader Phil Davies added that the 12,000 target had been arrived at by a "prescribed formula written by government", and that he had challenged it.

He also said he had asked the Government for "greater flexibility" in determining the 12,000 figures, adding that the size of Wirral makes the number "extremely challenging".

On behalf of his party, Lib Dem Cllr Stuart Kelly said it was "time to choose" between the green belt and Wirral Waters.

The Lib Dems said in their notice of motion that questions had 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".

He added: "This is causing great worry, great concern and great upset among residents in Wirral. Shame on the council for that.

"It is clear that it is not too late for the administration to take back their notice of motion and pause the consultation until it is properly challenged on all the new facts and figures out in front of them."

Speaking before the meeting, campaigner Phil Simpson said the protest had "an excellent turnout".

He added: "We do not agree with building on the green belt. People here are furious.

"We also believe the council's proposals for 12,000 homes are completely wrong.

"These are the concerns of the people. The whole saga must be stopped."

With no actual decisions made on Monday, councillors were told it was part of the consultation process currently being carried out by the local authority.

Comments made will be considered by the cabinet before a final decision is made at a full council meeting at a date later this year.