RESIDENTS in Amblecote have been breathing a sigh of relief after hearing the developers looking to build on the area's last untouched piece of land have withdrawn their interest in the site.

Countryside Properties held an exhibition at Stourbridge Football Club on Monday to showcase their proposal to build up to 136 new homes on the land to the rear of Corbett Outpatients Centre, off Vicarage Road.

People living nearby, however, turned out in force to highlight their opposition to the scheme - saying it would spoil the last natural oasis for wildlife in the area and create traffic chaos on and around Amblecote High Street which is already one of the busiest roads in the borough.

The public exhibition was organised ahead of a planning application being made to Dudley Council but in light of the opposition from residents - the developers have decided to quit looking at the site which is owned by the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust.

A spokesman for Countryside Properties said: "We were grateful that the residents, and interested parties, were so polite in expressing their views, but nonetheless, we recognise the substantial local objections to the proposed development. As a consequence, we have decided to withdraw our interest in the site and focus on alternative opportunities in Dudley."

Kyle Pedley, Conservative candidate for Amblecote, who campaigned with politicians from across the political divide to help stave off the development, said: "As a lifelong Amblecote resident, this is fantastic news that means a huge deal to me.

"This beautiful, historic green space is so important to Amblecote and its residents, and we’re going to use this momentum and the great team we’ve assembled to continue exploring options for how the space might be adopted for community use, as John Corbett originally intended all those years ago.

"There will very likely be future battles ahead, but for now I think everyone in Amblecote - myself included - will be thrilled, relieved and very grateful to Countryside for this wonderful news.”

He added: "We know there will likely be other developers and further fights ahead."

And he urged residents to attend the planned meeting on Wednesday November 27 at 7pm at Stourbridge Football Club to discuss suggestions, ideas and the next steps to help protect the site.