The publication of a revised NPPF last year was the first in a series of major planning reforms to be introduced by Labour. Among the NPPF’s most significant changes was the introduction of the ‘Grey Belt’ and the ‘golden rules’ by which such land may be released for development.

Research suggests that 30,597 Grey Belt sites across the country have the potential to boost housing delivery by as many as 3.4m properties – which would meet the government’s ambitious housing targets for two parliamentary terms. Of course not all of this land is suitable and available for housing, and the 30,597 sites quoted above would average just 111 homes per site. Furthermore, applying the new rules associated with Grey Belt release will be far from straightforward.

Addressing housing need
Prior to the general election, Carter Jonas carried out research of the Green Belt which demonstrated that only a small percentage of land is designated for environmental purposes, suggesting greater scope to release Green Belt land. And, despite higher percentages of overlap of Green Belt and other designations (specifically in London), there is still a significant proportion of land without an environmental designation that could be used strategically.

The Grey Belt
According to the NPPF’s definition, any Green Belt site, including previously developed or brownfield land, could be reclassified as Grey Belt provided if it can be shown to ‘not strongly contribute’ to three of the five purposes of the Green Belt: to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas; to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another, and to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns. As with any policy, there are exceptions, such as sites with irreplaceable habitats or those at risk of flooding.