One of Birmingham’s largest housing developments which has been mired in controversy for years has been significantly delayed, reduced in size and will be a building site for more than 15 years.
The Langley scheme near Sutton Coldfield was set to deliver up to 6,000 new homes - 5,000 of which were due to be built by 2031, the time frame covered by the Birmingham Development Plan (BDP).
But the Langley Sutton Coldfield Consortium - which represents the developers and landowners behind the project - has confirmed that will no longer be the case.
Now it has emerged the first home will not be delivered until 2023 despite the fact building work was originally expected to start last year.
The total housing capacity has been reduced to as low as 5,000 and fewer than 3,000 homes are expected to be delivered by 2031 but the amount could be as little as 2,000.
Langley is not due to be completed until 2038 - the 16th year of its development.
A campaign was fought for the development site to keep its green belt status but this was removed so it could be included in the BDP.
Suzanne Webb is a spokeswoman for the Project Fields campaign group and has since been elected as a Conservative city council member for Castle Vale.
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She said: "The Birmingham Development Plan has always lacked integrity.
"I am not surprised at the news the number of homes to be delivered on Langley could be as few as 2,000.
"The original documented and known trajectory for Langley was always 3,000 homes by 2031.
"This figure was stated in an original version of the Birmingham Development Plan but the figure was erased and changed to 6,000 - a point I raised to the inspector at the Public Examination in 2014 but was vigorously denied by developers and the council. I have been proven right.
"It is clear, as suspected, the number of homes was artificially inflated to 6,000 to justify the release of the land from the Green Belt."
The city council has stated the shortfall at Langley has been compensated for by development elsewhere.
One reason for the delay is down to the fact the Government initially placed a holding notice on the BDP, meaning it was not officially adopted by the council until January 2017.
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Consequently, the Langley site was not formally released from the green belt until then.
Despite the delays, Birmingham City Council leader Ian Ward described Langley as a cornerstone of the overall aim to deliver 51,000 new homes in the city by 2031.
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A consortium spokesman said more land was now needed to install drainage ponds because it was "not possible" to use soakaways - a pit filled with hard core that allows water to filter through to the surrounding ground.
He admitted the original 6,000-home figure was a "very high level assessment" but said the revised number was based on "more detailed work" and, overall, the project was "well ahead of the curve".
The council also moved to reassure that Langley had not impacted on its overall house building targets.
A spokesman said: "While some of the capacity previously identified at Langley is now anticipated to be delivered beyond 2031, this is more than offset by this additional capacity identified elsewhere in the city.
"At the end of 2019, Birmingham City Council will be reviewing its progress (and the progress of neighbouring authorities) on meeting any housing shortfall across its housing market area.
"A report will then be published, following consultation with neighbouring authorities and stakeholders, to provide a position statement and outline actions required to address any issues identified."