A plan to merge three leafy local villages into a single town has been backed by residents in a bid to save swathes of countryside.

The scheme for Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath (KDBH) to be defined as a single settlement was proposed by Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council planners as a way of defending the borough’s green belt.

Councillors and planning officers stressed the move was purely for “planning purposes” and residents would still live in their self-contained villages.

Balsall Common would also become a town for planning matters if the changes were agreed.

Results from a six-week consultation held in the summer showed 55 per cent of the 165 residents who took part supported the change.

And 40 per cent said they thought Balsall Common should become a single settlement.

See Full Page