11.

LAND USE AND GREEN BELT

Advice for planners and developers

The government attaches great importance to Green Belts. The fundamental aim of Green Belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open; the essential characteristics of Green Belts are their openness and permanence NPPF, p. 19, paras. 79-92

Considerations for developers, local planning authorities and neighbourhood forums

1. What potential is there to meet land use requirements through the re-use and/or redevelopment of browneld sites with low community or ecological value? 2. What measures are required to protect greeneld sites and green belt land from inappropriate development and development sprawl? Can this be achieved by creating natural boundaries or landscape features associated with new developments? 3. What potential is there to enhance existing open space and/or green belt land through development, including the potential to connect open spaces via green corridors? 4. What potential is there to re-instate or create new open space and/or green belt land as through development or remediation of contaminated browneld sites? 5. Do browneld sites of low community or ecological value exist that could be used to meet development requirements and relieve development pressure on greeneld sites or green belt land? 6. Is there potential to improve recreational access to open spaces and/or green belt land? 7. Are there areas where limited release of open space and/or green belt land may be appropriate to accommodate critical development or to meet wider regeneration objectives?

NPPF references:
Core Planning Principles Section 1: Building a strong, competitive economy (paragraph 22). Section 4: Promoting Sustainable Transport (paragraphs 37 & 38). Section 6: Delivering a wide choice of high quality homes (paragraph 52). Section 8: Promoting healthy communities (paragraphs 76-77). Section 9: Protecting Green Belt land Using a proportionate evidence base (paragraph 161).

Information resources, advice and tools

Browneld Brieng www.browneldbrieng.com English Partnerships - The Browneld Guide A Practitioners Guide to Land Reuse in England (archived information) www.eukn.org Landscape Institute www.landscapeinstitute.org The National Archives www.collections.europarchive.org Natural England www.naturalengland.org.uk UK Biodiversity Action Plan www.jncc.defra.gov.uk A Regional Sustainability Checklist for Developments http://www.wwf.org.uk

Case studies and examples of best practice

London 2012: Olympic Park Soil Strategy learninglegacy.independent.gov.uk