A Solihull MP and the leader of the council have both criticised a move for the West Midlands mayor to be able to override the borough's councillors on major planning decisions.

Meriden and Solihull East MP Saqib Bhatti called it a "worrying development for our greenbelt in Solihull" while Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council's Conservative leader Karen Grinsell said there should be "more local power at council level, not less".

Mayors in 13 areas including the West Midlands will gain similar powers to Sadiq Khan in London, who is already able to "call in" planning decisions.

The change would apply to proposals with more than 150 homes, more than 15,000 square metres of commercial space or buildings over 30 metres.

In addition to gaining the new "call-in" powers, mayors such as West Midlands mayor Richard Parker would be able to grant "up-front permission", which the government says will allow building to begin "without a developer having to apply".

A consultation on how the powers will work is set to be published before the end of the month.

The move is one of new Prime Minister Andy Burnham – who served as mayor for Greater Manchester for nearly a decade – first having previously expressed his desire to transfer more powers to local mayors.

But after the news broke Saqib Bhatti, Conservative MP for Meriden and Solihull East, criticised the announcement on social media.

"The Labour mayor of the West Midlands will back the government's grey belt definition and ultimately put our greenbelt at risk," the MP said.

"Ultimately Burnham is taking away the voice of local communities.

"Solihull Conservatives will always stand up for our greenbelt."

Council leader Cllr Grinsell told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Labour is once again trying to take planning decisions out of the hands of local communities.

"Solihull residents deserve a real say over what is built in their area, not decisions imposed by a regional mayor. Our green belt is too important to be traded away.

"The mayor must respect the voice of local people, back local decision making and protect Solihull's green belt from inappropriate development.

"Once our countryside is gone, it's gone forever."

Speaking to the BBC on August 24 Mr Parker said some of the response had "probably been a bit of an overreaction".

"It is about working as mayors – using our powers to best effect and calibrating with our council leaders," he said.

"Any decisions we make over and above those made by councils have to be consistent with planning rules, local plans and national policy.

"The intention for government is to ensure projects and plans, particularly major sites, aren't held up because of indecision locally.

"If councils make decisions consistent with planning rules and local plans, the need for me to intervene will be limited at best."

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook said the powers were an "essential part of the toolkit mayors need to effectively deliver new homes and regeneration".

The government has a target to build 1.5 million homes in England by the end of the decade with the authority given a target to build 8,500 by 2029.