A lot of people mistakenly think of green belt land as the countryside. However, the official definition is it’s actually land around built-up areas like cities and towns. It gets the designation to help stop urban sprawl so areas don’t become gigantic concrete jungles. A change in definition could allow more building in these areas though. We want to have a closer look today, then you can contact us if you want to work with a top architect in London.
Grey belt land
The National Planning Policy Framework got an update towards the end of 2024. One of the crucial changes is we now have a clear definition of what the Grey Belt is. According to the NPPF, grey belt is any land in the green belt that has “previously been developed” or land that “does not strongly contribute” to one of three purposes of Green Belt (a, b, and d in the document). These are:
- Preventing unrestricted urban sprawl
- Preventing neighbouring towns from merging
- Preserving the setting and character of historic areas
Interestingly, the definition only focuses on those three purposes of green belt land. It therefore does not consider two more points; safeguarding the countryside from encroachment (c) and assisting in urban regeneration (e).
Because of the change in definition, more land will now be grey belt rather than green. Land will only be Green Belt if there is enough justification to prevent any development.
What does it mean?
As a top architect in London, we have to keep a very close eye on any changes to the National Planning Policy Framework. It can have a massive impact on projects.
The official definition of grey belt means more developments could now get planning permission. Land that formerly had protection will be open to redevelopment.
Searchland has had a look at the data to see the impact of the change. They claim a massive 3,425 planning applications since 2010 may have gotten planning permission if the new definition was in place at the time. If they were all approved, they estimate over 27,000 homes would have been built.
Searchland is recommending that developers revisit their applications for any of the sites that will now be grey belt. They stand a better chance of getting permission. That is especially true for any land that does not strongly justify protection.
An important thing to keep in mind is some sites that will now be grey belt land will allow massive redevelopments. For example, a project in Billericay, Essex for 250 homes got the first grey belt planning permission approval in January.
Do you want help from an architect in London?
The change in the NPPF and land definitions means it will be an exciting time for redevelopments in various built-up areas. We could see a wave of new projects. As a result, they could kick off urban regeneration in numerous locations, delivering more homes, jobs, and amenities.
If you are thinking of a project and want some advice from a top architect in London, you should speak to us. We can help with designs, planning applications for all kinds of sites, and much more.