GREEN BELT PROJECT (UK)

What is The Green Belt?

Green belt is a policy for controlling urban growth. The idea is for a ring of countryside where
urbanisation will be resisted, maintaining an area where agriculture, forestry and outdoor leisure can be
expected to prevail. In essence, a green belt is an invisible line encircling a certain area, preventing
development of the area allowing wildlife to return and be established. The term 'Green' in this case does not
have that meaning, although it is often wrongly thought to do so. Green Belts were so called long before the
word 'green' gained the wider use it has today.

Green Belts History?

The concept of Green Belt was initially suggested in the late 19th century. 1898 Garden City movement
and its founder Ebenezer Howard proposes Garden Cities surrounded by Green Belts. Actually, there is story
that Ebenezer Howard was inspired by the Utopian novel and at that time the suburbanization of London
was a growing problem which Howard attempted to solve with his garden city model. He published his book
"To-morrow: a Peaceful Path to Real Reform” in 1898. His idealised garden city would house 32,000
people on a site of 2400 ha, planned on a centric pattern with open spaces, public parks and six radial
boulevards.
The big part of activities took organization Campaign to Protect Rural England which in 1930-ties
campaigned for a clear barrier of undeveloped land against ribbon development and urban sprawl. The first
official proposal "to provide a reserve supply of public open spaces and of recreational areas and to establish
a green belt of open space" was made by the Greater London Regional Planning Committee in 1935.
As a result of these campaigns and other local initiatives, the first Green Belts were designated in
London and Sheffield, assisted by an Act of Parliament in 1938. In 1955 Green Belt policy for England was
set out in Ministry of Housing and Local Government Circular which invited local planning authorities to
consider the establishment of Green Belts in their area.

Aims of the Green Belt?

The original purpose of Green Belt is clear. It was introduced 60 years ago to protect the countryside
from urban sprawl and to retain the character and vitality of cities. Green Belt boundaries are laid out in
Local Plans which is the document produced by the planning authority (usually it is a district or borough
council in England) to provide a policy for planning decisions. Land which is included in the Green Belt
project must contribute to one or more of the five purposes of the Green Belt set out in Planning Policy
Guidance Note 2 and these purposes which reveals aim of Green Belt are:

• To check the unrestricted sprawl of built-up areas.

• To safeguard the surrounding countryside from further encroachment.
• To prevent neighbouring towns from merging into one another.
• To preserve the special character of historic towns.
• To assist in urban regeneration.
 The policy in PPG2 clearly states that the most important attributes of Green Belts are their openness
and permanence.
The area covered by Green Belt is set through strategic level planning. Any changes have to be justified
to the Secretary of State who will need to be convinced that exceptional circumstances exist and alternatives
have been considered. Permanence means that Green Belt boundaries should exist for longer than the life of
a development plan. Development within Green Belts is strictly controlled and there is a general
presumption against inappropriate development. Development considered suitable includes:

 some mineral extraction;

 small-scale infill development within villages;
 the extension/re-use of existing buildings;
 development strictly required in connection with agriculture, forestry and outdoor
sport and recreation.

Green Belts Project is following its purposes but it can contribute to the objectives like:

 to provide opportunities for access to the open countryside;

 to provide opportunities for outdoor sport and outdoor activities;
 to retain attractive landscapes;
 to improve damaged land around towns;
 to secure nature conservation interest;
 to retain land in agriculture, forestry and related uses.

Green belts target is for 60% of new housing to be provided on brownfield land and this policy has
proven very effective at directing the location of development. Built development (both new build and re-
building) has been largely concentrated within already existing urban boundaries, which means that city is
not expanding and not taking more area around it and rural area is not decreasing.

Land in this area?

At this time there are 14 separate Green Belts varying in size from London (Metropolitan) at 486,000
hectares to Burton-upon-Trent and Swadlincote at just 700 hectares. In total, they cover just over 1.6 million
ha or nearly 13% of the land area of England. Within the 14 Green Belts there are 38 major towns and cities
with populations of over 100,000 and in total around 30 million people or 60% of the population live in the
towns and cities surrounded by Green Belt.
65.7% or 1,063,645 ha, of all Green Belt land is currently in agricultural use, 16.2% of all Green Belt
land is Grade 1 or Grade 2 agricultural land.
A significant of land in the Green Belt is neither registered for agricultural use nor is it woodland. This
land is made up of such uses as small paddocks, small holdings and extensive gardens. The majority of
Green Belt is categorised as farmed land or woodland.
The National Woodland Inventory records 11% of Green Belt as woodland. For all England woodland
cover is 8%. The highest proportion of this woodland is broadleaved and the Green Belt has a high share of
coppice woodland with 19% of the total coppice in England.
There are doubts about the productiveness of some of the land classified as undeveloped. The national
and local surveys revealed that the public are interested in buying food produced locally in the Green Belt
and many would like to see more trees planted and more locally grown food in the areas around towns and
cities, what means that public would like to see the countryside around towns become more multifunctional,
combining agricultural production with other public benefits.
Responses what kind of food people would like to buy from Green Belt farmers.
Interesting chart of people responses what should do with undevelpoed land.
Landscape of Green Belt and nature?
The landscapes within Green Belts are mostly rural in character but include scattered settlements,
development associated with the edges of urban areas including road and rail infrastructure, as well as
former mining areas. Based on the
National Character Area approach, 39% of the land is maintained in a stable condition. The majority of
the population believes Green Belt to be beautiful and rich in wildlife. A few are concerned about damaged
land and litter. 44% of England’s Country Parks and 33% of Local Nature Reserves are in Green Belt and
the value of Green Belt for nature conservation can be assessed on the extent and condition of priority
habitats, some species there are surviving well and better than in other parts of England including birds such
as the mistle thrush, song thrush, starling, and butterflies. Green Belt land is contributing to the healthy
ecosystems which underpin many natural processes supporting a range of services including pollination, soil
fertility, flood defence, air filtration and carbon capture and storage.
There is interesting chart of people associations with the words : Green Belt”.
Chart of attitudes to changes in land use.

Benefits of the Green Belt for people?

- People can be more mobile (The Green Belt now contains 27% of the National Cycle Network and
the traffic free parts of the same National Cycle Network are almost entirely located in Green Belt).
- More healthy and active lifestyle (Green Belt offers many outdoor activities – cycling, walking,
horse riding, football, golf and other activities and there is evidence which shows that those with a
good range of greenspace close to home, particularly children, are less likely to suffer from obesity
and related health issues);
- It offers educational activities (For the reason that Green Belt area is so close to urban areas and
many schools and colleges it offers opportunities for a range of environmental activities in the
Country Parks, Local Nature Reserves and farms.
- It is a place where to improve health (care farming is a good example of this, it is Project which
uses commercial farms, woodlands and market gardens as a base for promoting mental and physical
health through normal farming activity.)
- Cleaner air and water.

Criticism?
Several academics, policy groups and town planning organisations in recent years have criticised the
idea of Green belts in the UK.
Greenbelt policy has been attacked as too rigid (nelokāms) in the face of new urban and environmental
challenges, the Town and Country Planning Association published a policy statement in 2002[9] which
proposed a more flexible policy which would allow the introduction of green wedge and strategic gap
policies rather than green belts, and so permit the expansion of some urban areas. There are identified
greenbelt barriers to urban expansion as one of several major protectionist political-economic barriers to
housebuilding with negative effects on the supply, cost/prices, and quality of new homes, political
discrimination against particular classes of new housing supplier.
There are arguments that the Ggreenbelts actually defeat their own stated objective of saving the
countryside and open spaces. By preventing existing towns and cities from extending normally and
organically, they result in more land-extensive housing developments further out –they the establishment
beyond the greenbelts of new communities with lower building densities, their own built infrastructure and
other facilities, and greater dependence on cars.
 Also there are arguments that a green belt is created by residents to preserve the bourgeois status quo of
those already living within the zone, and especially the advantage of landlords who profit from a scarcity of
housing.

Examples:
The London Green Belt

It is the largest of England’s 14 Green Belts, covering 30% of the total area of all Green Belt land in
England. 92% of the Metropolitan Green Belt land is undeveloped land, but only 58% of the land is
registered as being in agricultural use. This Green Belt is the most under pressure of any from proposals for
new development, both in terms of infrastructure such as airports and transmission lines, and new housing.
55% of the area has ‘maintained’ its established landscape character. Particular landscape strengths are in the
condition of trees/woodland and the condition of rivers.

When asked what they would like to see more of in the Green Belt, the public in London were keen to
see
Nature reserves
Woodland walks
New Parks

The Cambridge Green Belt

It is principally designated to protect the historic setting of Cambridge and to prevent the city physically
merging with neighbouring towns and villages, as well as contributing to other Green Belt purposes of
preventing sprawl and 74% of Green Belt land is arable ad the majority (64%) of the it is high quality (Grade
1 or 2) agricultural land.

When asked what they would like to see more of in the Green Belt, the public in the East of England
were keen to see
Nature reserves
Woodland walks
Cycle paths

The North West Green Belt

It contains 28,038 hectares of Grade 1 agricultural land, more than any other Green Belt and
7.9% of all England’s Grade 1 land. 69% is currently in agricultural use. 4,580 ha of Green Belt land is
Country Parks.

When asked what they would like to see more of in the Green Belt, the public in the North West were
keen to see
Nature reserves
Woodland walks
New Parks
 The Tyne & Wear Green Belt
The land cover is typical of England as a whole, consisting mostly of arable land, improved grassland
and semi-natural grassland, 70% is currently in agricultural use. Around half of the Green Belt (51%) is
assessed as neglected with particular concern for about the loss of historic parkland.
When asked what they would like to see more of in the Green Belt, the public in the North East were
keen to see
Nature reserves
Woodland walks
New parks

Are there reasons to worry about Green belt?

The statistics shows that since 2004 the total Green Belt area has shrunk in East Anglia, and in the East
and West Midlands. Between 1997 and 2003 an average of nearly four square miles was lost each year.
From 1997-2005, 45,240 new dwellings were permitted on Green Belt land. This loss of Green Belt land
raises serious questions about the Government’s commitment to Green Belt policy in practice.

Examples:

Greater London - Metropolitan Green Belt

There have been two significant cases where the Secretary of State has recently permitted development
that has caused significant harm to the Metropolitan Green Belt: a housing development on 10 hectares in
November 2007; and the rail freight depot in December 2007, involving a loss of 155 hectares.

Nottingham and Derby Green Belt

The draft East Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy proposes a major urban extension at Clifton, to the
south of Nottingham, it calls to provide 8,900 dwellings.
Development plans for the Nottingham urban extension produced by Wilson Bowden propose 5,000
homes, 50 hectares of commercial space, a £90 million road widening scheme and a 50,000 capacity stadium
for Nottingham Forest Football Club, along with an additional railway station and an extension to the light
rail transit network.

West Midlands Green Belt

West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy assumes 365,600 new dwellings will be built by 2026.

York Green Belt

In May 2007 the Secretary of State granted permission for two housing developments in the Green Belt,
totalling 1,150 dwellings (The former will take up 34 hectares of Green Belt).
117 hectares of Green Belt around York will be lost as a result of York University gaining approval for
its plans in May 2007. It will now be able to extend its campus into the Green Belt, build roads, provide
parking spaces for 1,500 cars and creating a large business park.