Sheffield MP Clive Betts said he was pleased after the Planning Inspectorate asked Sheffield Council to reconsider whether sufficient non-green-belt land could be used for housing development. The intervention matters because it could affect how much protected green-belt land the council proposes to release for new homes.

The Inspectorate’s request appears to relate to the council’s housing land options and the evidence supporting its planning approach. It does not itself prevent development, but requires the council to review alternatives before decisions on green-belt housing allocations are finalised.