1,500 new green belt homes proposed this year, says campaign group

CPRE said that over 1,000 hectares of mines, offices and warehouses have been proposed for development in the green belt.

Over the next 20 years CPRE estimates that an area of the green belt the size of the London Borough of Hounslow will have been developed.

"Ministers saying that the green belt is not being given the level of protection they expected is a welcome recognition of the problem. But the extent to which the threat is growing – nearly doubling in a year – is deeply worrying. It should not be necessary to build on  green belt land when there is enough brownfield land available for a million and a half new homes," said Paul Miner, senior planning campaigner for CPRE. 

"Green belts prevent urban sprawl and are the green lungs of many of our largest or most historic towns and cities," he said. "Ministers now need to go further. Hard decisions are needed to help ensure both urban regeneration and protection of the green belt.’

CPRE has welcomed a written ministerial statement issued on 1 July which said: "Having considered recent planning decisions by councils and the Planning Inspectorate, it has become apparent that, in some cases, the green belt is not always being given the sufficient protection that was the explicit policy intent of ministers. The Secretary of State wishes to make clear that, in considering planning applications, although each case will depend on its facts, he considers that the single issue of unmet demand, whether for traveller sites or for conventional housing, is unlikely to outweigh harm to the green belt and other harm to constitute the “very special circumstances” justifying inappropriate development in the Green Belt."

CPRE has urged Ministers to take "urgent" further action to safeguard the green belt. It said that they should insist that brownfield land is used before greenfield land; should introduce measures to help local authorities to co-operate to protect green belt land; and should provide guidance on the requirement to supply five years' worth of sites for new housing in local plans to reduce the scope for developers to use green belt land where brownfield sites are available.