The need for development can necessitate looking for profitable opportunities, and green belt land can be one of them. Even though this can be your potential investment space, you must first become well-versed with the concepts and rules of building a green belt. To facilitate that, this blog will bring the facts on planning permission on greenbelt land at one place:
What does Green Belt land cover?
You can use the term green belt to indicate the protected open space and countryside of the United Kingdom. It also refers to government policy created to safeguard control of urban growth. It would mean the wider section of the land encompassing towns and cities and not any single plot. Greenbelt land can be areas around the outer boundaries of the major cities, including London, Manchester, Newcastle, and Birmingham.
Green belt land was first put forward in 1930, but it came with the new town and planning country act, 1947. Here follows the purpose of introducing the green belt legislation:
- Checking open sprawl of huge built-up localities.
- Obstructing the merging of neighbouring towns.
- Aiding the protection of the countryside from intrusion.
- Safeguarding the setting and characteristics of the historic town.
- Facilitating urban regeneration by promoting the reuse of abandoned and other urban lands.
Building on Green belt land
In the whole process of development, getting planning permission on the green belt can seem a demanding task, owing to the high restriction associated with it. However, this doesn’t put an end to building on green belt land. Though there are specific locations of the green belt that are needed to be secured, the permitted developments do exist. Nevertheless, before being able to avail them of, it is necessary for you to learn about the regulations:
There are exceptional conditions in which you can get permission from local planning authorities, including:
- Architectural building
- Substitution of the present building for the same purpose.
- Extending essential affordable housing
- Reconstruction or proportionate extension of the present structure
- Recreation or outdoor facilities
- Restricted infillings in various areas
In 2018, guidance was presented by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local government on preserving the greenbelt. It voiced that the call for development space for reasonably priced housing doesn’t validate as a justifiable reason to seek permission for erection.
There exists a need to conduct the assessment. It can emphasise safeguarded sites, heritage assets, heritage coasts, risks of flood, safeguarded sites, sites with particular scientific interest, and locations of exceptional natural beauty.
It can be tough to get planning permission for constructing numerous properties on greenbelt land. On the other hand, it can be easier for a single property of exceptional qualities as per paragraph 79 of the National Planning policy framework.
The Bottom Line
There are several reasons behind strict rules for planning permission on greenbelt land. However, those cannot completely eliminate the possibility of obtaining planning permission on the greenbelt land. In this blog, you went through the reasons and exceptions on building on green belt land.
With this, you have become aware of the chances of obtaining the planning permission. However, to proceed with a straightforward method, you have to have the assistance of professionals in planning permission and architecture. At ADL, we are a team of professionals extending the services at different processes of development. If you want to know more or get started with it, you can reach us now.
