Recent analysis by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) said that nearly 5,000 hectares were cut from England’s green belt last year to help meet housing targets. While that may sound like an alarming figure, it’s important to consider the scale of the green belt in total: England’s 14 green belts comprise over 1.6 million hectares. If CPRE’s figures are correct, this would represent a loss of 0.3%.

Green belts are a useful planning tool, allowing land to perform an important strategic function, including encouraging the development of brownfield land. However, national policy recognises that in some instances, including where the growth of settlements would not discourage development of brownfield land, the shape of green belts may need to be altered to facilitate planned growth of settlements in the most sustainable way. The NPPF provides the mechanism for green belt boundaries to be altered through the plan making process, requiring local authorities to set out the exceptional circumstances as to why this is justified.

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