A new Labour government is in power, which means big change is coming our way, particularly regarding house building in this country. In fact, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his party have promised to build more than 1.5 million homes over the next parliamentary term, in an effort to finally move England out of the housing crisis it’s been locked in for years.
Controversially, this great homebuilding push means substantial Green Belt reforms will soon be rolled out, allowing for development in parts of the long-protected Green Belt.
This article will overview the proposed Green Belt reforms, discuss whether they’re a good thing or bad, and point you in the direction of a new book covering all angles of the Green Belt.
Let’s get stuck in.
England is in the midst of a crippling housing crisis and to help us escape this disaster, Labour has turned its attention to the country’s Green Belts, which the party believes have untapped potential for development that could help ease the relentless housing crisis.
The new prime minister explained, “Where there are clearly ridiculous uses of it [the green belt]; disused car parks, dreary wasteland - not a Green Belt, a grey belt - sometimes within a city’s boundary, then this cannot be justified as a reason to hold our future back.”
The reforms won’t mean ripping up valuable areas of environmental beauty. Instead, land that is overvalued will be reclassified as ‘grey belt’, which, rather than continue to be protected, will be open for development.
As you would expect given how beloved the Green Belt is, there will be rules in place, and you can rest assured skyscrapers won’t be taking the place of England’s stunning countryside.
Here’s an overview of Labour’s golden rules for development in the Green Belt:
Brownfield first: Within the Green Belt, any brownfield land (previously developed land) must be prioritised for development.
Grey belt second: Low quality and ‘ugly’ areas of the Green Belt should be prioritised over environmentally valuable land in the Green Belt. At the moment, beyond the existing brownfield category, the system doesn’t differentiate between them. This category will be distinct from brownfield, with a wider definition.
Affordable homes: Plans must target at least 50% affordable housing delivery when land is released.
Boost public services and infrastructure: Plans must bolster public services and local infrastructure, like more schools and nurseries, new health centres, and GP appointments.
Improve genuine green spaces: Labour will not build on genuine nature spots and requires plans to include improvements to existing green spaces, making them accessible to the public, with new woodland, parks, and playing fields. Plans should meet high environmental standards.
The final details of the above promises will be established in the coming months. So, with these golden rules in mind, should you view building in the Green Belt as a good thing or bad?
Though generally building in the Green Belt shouldn’t be encouraged, the key here is that Labour is targeting areas that are not worthy of their protected status. It’s the overvalued, underutilised land that will be prioritised, and that is a great thing.
Brownfield land has been proven as inadequate for the home building that is required in this country. We simply need more land to build on. While it’s great previously developed brownfield land is still the primary target for redevelopment, it’s important to supplement this land by loosening the Green Belt restrictions.
Importantly, those areas of genuine beauty and value will still be protected - that’s what Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Sites of Special Scientific Interest are for - so relaxing Green Belt restrictions does not mean the country is going to turn into an overdeveloped dump.
All in all, the Green Belt has been misunderstood for too long as an environmental policy, rather than as a tool for preventing urban sprawl. With that in mind, the fact we have a government in power brave enough to challenge the status quo in the name of solving the housing crisis should be celebrated.
Green Belt experts Urbanist Architecture have just released their debut book, ‘Green Light to Green Belt Developments’, covering all angles of the Green Belt. The book explores everything from the history and persistence of the policy, to the exceptions and circumstances that can allow for building there, to what they think about Labour’s big Green Belt plans.
Here’s a short excerpt from the book to give you a taste for the tone:
“The majority of land in the Green Belt isn’t ‘green’ at all. When you draw a ring around a town or city and put everything within that ring under a blanket designation, it means that land is flagged because of where it is, not because of what it is. Geographic location alone makes land part of the Green Belt, not scientific value or environmental quality.”
It’s a great read, written without bias, and in a jargon-free way that makes sense - you don’t need to be well-versed in planning policy to get a lot out of it and it’s accessible to anyone curious about the Green Belt.
You can purchase your copy and learn more about the book here.
Urbanist Architecture is a multidisciplinary practice that provides architectural, planning, interior design, and project management services all under one roof.
This gives them an edge as they’re able to bounce off one another and deliver truly innovative designs for clients that also have a great chance of gaining approval. In fact, they have a 97% success rate when it comes to achieving planning permission, so you know you’re in safe hands when you work with them to navigate this new planning landscape.
