COUNCILLORS battled it out on Monday night over controversial plans for the future development of the Redditch borough.

The debate centred around Redditch’s ‘Local Plan 4’ which includes plans to build almost 3,000 new homes within the borough boundary and a further 3,400 in the Bromsgrove district.

Last week, town MP Karen Lumley issued a ‘Notice to Hold’ the plans with the Department of Communities and Local Government.

This means the plan would be looked at again by public servants before possibly being presented to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid, who has previously voiced his objections to the plans.

During the meeting, councillors had put forward a recommendation to proceed with an eight-week consultation on the main modifications to the plans, beginning on Wednesday, July 27 and ending on September 21.

But Leader of the Conservative group Juliet Brunner (Matchborough) instead offered a recommendation to postpone the consultation until after the outcome Notice of Motion had been decided.

Cllr Brunner said: “Given that the local plan is now being called in by our MP- we cannot support this recommendation in its current form.

"This would be a complete waste of thousands of pounds of tax payers’ money for a consultation on modifications which now may not be appropriate if the Secretary of State seeks to throw out this plan.

"I ask that the controlling group join us and defer this consultation until we know the Secretary of State's decision."

The amendment was put to the vote but fell 14-13.

Labour councillors accused the Conservatives of stalling and swiftly pointed out that the modifications were not theirs but the inspectors.

They also pointed out that previously at the executive meeting conservative councillors had voted in favour of the consultation.

But the Tory councillors argued that they had only found out about the notice of motion last week.

Under the plans, 600 homes would be built in Webheath and campaigners have been fighting against this for years.

Mrs Lumley has also asked for the plan, which provides a framework for future development in Redditch over the next 15 years, to be stopped in line with the 2016 Planning Act to enable a further examination of proposals regarding Bordesley.

Speaking on her decision to hold the proposals, she said: "I have been saying for a long time now that Webheath is simply not the right place to build this number of houses, despite what the inspector says.

"Due to the onset of the Redditch Eastern Gateway project, many of the employment opportunities that become available over the next few years will not be near Webheath where the infrastructure is inadequate in any case. Jobs will however be very accessible to the Bordesley area, and in my view that is where this enormous number of houses ought to be centred.

"Officials listened to my point of view. They are now going to fully examine the issues involved before putting the arguments before a Government minister."