Hucknall councillor: 'Why was Whyburn Farm ever considered for housing in the first place?'

But he also pointed the finger at the ruling Ashfield Independents and questioned why the green belt site was ever being earmarked for housing at all.

Coun Baron, who represents Hucknall West, said: “Why did they have it in the plan in the first place?

"If they were that concerned about development on the green belt, something that the Ashfield Independents stated in all their previous literature that they would not do, why was it then included in the draft local plan?

"They should never have put it in, simple as that.

"The only people who have misled the Hucknall electorate on all of this are the Ashfield Independents and they’re getting worse not better.

"They have accused the Conservatives of lying over this but I will not accept that because I do not lie.”

Coun Baron also said there were sites in the wards of council leader Coun Jason Zadrozny-Bland (Ash Ind) and Coun Matthew Relf (Ash Ind), the council’s executive lead member for regeneration and corporate transformation, that could take more housing without needing to touch the green belt.

He continued: "It is a brilliant thing that the green belt could be saved but it has yet to be approved and if the Government say 8,000 houses are needed up to 2035, I think it is, in Ashfield, you still need to find them.

"But there are sites in Coun Zadrozny’s and Coun Relf’s own wards that would accommodate the vast majority of those without development in the green belt.