Birmingham’s green belt shrank by ten per cent last year - more than anywhere else in the country.

New government figures showed plans adopted by the city in 2016/17 had shrunk its green belt from 4,150 hectares the year before to 3,730 hectares.

Only seven other councils agreed to reduce their green belt - and two of those were by negligible amounts.

The details emerged after plans to build 6,000 houses on green belt land near Sutton Coldfield were approved in an attempt to solve Birmingham's housing crisis.

Original vision for Interchange Station
Plan for new town on green belt near Birmingham Airport

The government said it attached “great importance” to green belt and that, once set, designated areas should only be altered in “exceptional circumstances”.

National planning guidance states: “When considering any planning application, local planning authorities should ensure that substantial weight is given to any harm to the green belt.

‘Very special circumstances’ [for approval] will not exist unless the potential harm to the green belt, by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations.”

For that reason, the size of England’s green belt has remained fairly static over recent years with only a handful of councils nibbling into it.

Across the country as a whole, there was 1,634,700 hectares of green belt in 2016/17, compared to 1,635,490 hectares the previous year.

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But pressure is growing to build more homes on the green belt because of a worsening housing shortage, particularly in our cities.

We revealed in February how Birmingham’s population was growing FIVE TIMES faster than houses were being built.

Just 780 homes were built in the city in 2016, bringing the total available to 430,000.

That was a 0.2 per cent rise in homes at a time when the population swelled by 10,000.

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The seven other councils to approve plans reducing the size of their green belt were Bromsgrove, whose green belt shrunk by 180 hectares; Hertsmere (down 60 hectares); Redditch (down 30 hectares); Stratford-on-Avon (down 20 hectares); and Vale of White Horse (down 90 hectares). High Peak and South Derbyshire also saw reductions - of less than five hectares.