Why the battle for the green belt matters so much to communities across the country

It is that issue, the demand for more homes against the demand to protect the green belt, which campaigners say, once built on, is gone forever.

The Hagley campaign mirrors many across the country, including in Shropshire, Dudley, London and Sheffield, fighting for their voices to be heard.

For many campaigners, they say the green belt is more than open countryside, instead being a buffer between towns and cities, preserving the character of communities.

Their fears are not just that homes will be built, but once those boundaries begin to shift, changes cannot be reversed.

The idea of a green belt emerged in the early 20th Century and became embedded in the post-war planning system as a way of preventing urban sprawl and preserving open land around towns and cities.

After World War Two, the Town and Country Planning Act 1947 created the modern planning system, allowing councils to ring-fence land around towns and cities, leading to the later designation of green belts nationwide.