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What actually is the Grey Belt?

  • Billy Lloyd

Since its formal introduction into the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), all everyone seems to be talking about is Grey Belt. So we though we would provide a bit of a breakdown to assist with what actually is the Grey Belt.

What is the definition of Grey Belt?

Firstly, Grey Belt is defined as land within the Green Belt which is either land that is previously developed or land which does not contribute strongly to the following purposes of the Green belt:

  • to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas.
  • to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another.
  • to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns.

Additionally, the site needs to be sustainably located within accessible proximity to public transport or links to services and facilities, whilst also meeting an evidenced unmet need for the type of development being proposed.

What is meant by the 'Golden Rules'?

Applications for major development, have the additional option of meeting the ‘Golden Rules’, which if met means the scheme is given significant weight in favour of the proposal, with these further rules as follows:

  • Affordable housing being 15 percentage points above the highest existing affordable housing requirement which would otherwise apply to the development, subject to a cap of 50%.
  • Necessary improvements to local or national infrastructure.
  • The provision of new, or improvements to existing, green spaces that are accessible to the public. New residents should be able to access good quality green spaces within a short walk of their home, whether through onsite provision or through access to offsite spaces. 

The new NPPF has removed the footnote 7 restrictions to the Grey Belt definition.

Given the above, we have been working on several Grey Belt projects, with one located in Basildon, Essex which we recently got permission for by justifying that the development did not strongly contribute to the purposes of the Green Belt and it was located in a sustainable location, whilst meeting the housing need at a time when the Council could not demonstrate a five year housing land supply.

Grey Belt Site, Essex – Warner Planning

Get in touch!

If you have land in the Green Belt, and would like to discuss with us whether it can be considered Grey Belt, please get in touch with the team, and we would be happy to see whether the site has potential.

How to get in touch…

Having a consultant involved in your project, is a great way to reduce the risk of errors and it can drastically speed up the timeline for achieving planning permission.

If you think you need support with your project, we’d be happy to help.

You can contact us directly via the details below, or if you would prefer, you can fill in the form below and one of the team will be in touch.

T: 01908 592580
E: info@warnerplanning.co.uk

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