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What actually is the Grey Belt?

What actually is the Grey Belt?

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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Planning Myth “You Cannot Develop on the Green Belt”

Planning Myth “You Cannot Develop on the Green Belt”

A long standing planning myth is that once an area is designated as Green Belt, that it cannot then be developed and whilst there may be more restrictions on what can be done, there are still opportunities for certain sites in the Green Belt.

urbanistarchitecture.co.uk

Development within the Green Belt is inherently considered as an inappropriate form of development, however, the following exemptions provide a non-exhaustive list of some that apply and we come across on a regular basis at Warner Planning:

  • Development or buildings which would support a use for agriculture and forestry.
  • Extending, altering, reusing or replacing an existing building, subject to this not resulting in disproportionate additions over and above the size of the original building. A replacement building must be for the same use and not materially larger than the original building. 
  • Limited residential infilling in villages, which basically fills in gaps in the built form within settlements, but typically the plot would need to be well contained/encompassed by development to be deemed acceptable.
  • Provision of affordable housing for identified local community needs under policies set out in the development plan (including policies for rural exception sites).
  • The partial or complete redevelopment of previously developed land (including a material change of use to residential or mixed use including residential), whether redundant or in continuing use (excluding temporary buildings), which would not cause substantial harm to the openness of the Green Belt.
  • A newer form of exemption for consideration would be Grey Belt, where the development is meeting an unmet need, is sustainably located and does not fundamentally undermine the Green Belt purposes (a, b & d).

Additionally, major development which provides 50% affordable housing, can be provided significant weight in the balancing exercise.

Very Special Circumstances

In addition to the above, where development is deemed as inappropriate and would result in harm to the Green Belt, this can still be approved if ‘Very Special Circumstances’ can be justified and any perceived harm is outweighed by the benefits. We would add that the bar for what justifies as VSC is very high and typically this would involve a collection of aspects rather than just a singular point. Some examples would be catering to a known need (housing, play space, community facility) or providing over and above the 10% BNG requirement.

Looking at some recent examples of the projects we have been working on at Warner Planning, we have recently got permission for the change of use of an existing Listed Building in Three Rivers District Council, which this being permissible under the previously developed land exemption and enabled a vacant historic building to be brought back into use after years of neglect. We have also managed to gain permission in Essex for a four unit scheme on a piece of land which was within the residential curtilage of an adjoining property, and this was approved on the basis of Grey Belt, although an argument could be put together that this also constituted as limited infilling.

Croxley House - onthemarket.co.uk

As such Warner Planning has extensive experience in navigating the complexities of Green Belt sites and the additional challenges they face. So if you have any queries about the Green Belt or would like to discuss a site with us, we would be more than happy to chat this through with you and the potential your site has moving forward.

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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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.

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