A REPORT published by a national charity has identified St Helens as an area with green belt land under threat unnecessarily.

Published by the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the document states that 12 years of housing supply could be met in the borough using brownfield sites.

It says St Helens Council has proposed building 4,093 houses on green belt, the equivalent of eight years' supply.

The Rainford Action Group has called on the council to "match its words with deeds" in putting brownfield land first for development following the report.

James Wright, chair of Rainford Action Group, said: “This important report makes clear that in St Helens not one piece of protected land needs to be lost for housing development because there is adequate capacity on land that has previously been built on.

“It makes environmental, economic and social sense to develop brownfield land first and that is what should happen before any thought is given to sacrificing the green belt.

“St Helens Council must match its words with deeds and show it really does support a brown field first policy.

“But the government must also do all it can to ensure development on brownfield land is prioritised. They are currently failing on that front, having axed funding for brown field land decontamination work, which was so important in an industrial area like St Helens.

“Politicians locally and nationally must be held to account. The countryside and our vital agricultural land must be preserved for future generations.”

In response, a council spokesperson said: “Like all local authorities, St Helens Council is required by government to properly plan for the borough’s housing requirement.

"From the extensive work that the council has undertaken in compiling its brownfield register, we have identified the potential for 5,808 new dwellings to be built on brownfield land. This equates to just over 10 years’ supply at the government-calculated rate of at least 504 homes per year.

“However, since government requires us to plan for the long term, we have chosen to produce a plan to cover housing requirements over the next 30 years.

"This would require (more than) 15,000 properties, which cannot be accommodated on brownfield sites alone or within the urban area.

"It also means that if green belt were to be released for development, the subsequent boundaries would then be secure for at least the duration of the plan period.

“As a council we will always prioritise brownfield development for housing, but given the greater requirement, we have no option but to look to accommodate some of the housing on green belt and greenfield sites.

"It should be noted that no green belt sites have been allocated for development, and that each potential development must still be considered at application stage.”