The House of Lords Built Environment Committee launched a short inquiry into the Grey Belt in England. The Housing Forum has submitted evidence to the inquiry on behalf of our cross-sector membership.
We welcome the use of the term ‘Grey Belt’ for opening up discussions around where is best to build, including potentially within the green belt. However, the term itself is not well defined and has caused a degree of confusion. We are particularly about planning policy that hinges on whether green belt sites are making a ‘limited contribution’ to greenbelt purposes because this is not clearly defined. Further guidance is required in order for councils to assess which sites are making a ‘limited contribution’ to green belt purposes as this will otherwise be a subjective judgement.