Continued rumours over proposed reforms to make development easier on green belt

The Times has reported that George Osborne wants to simplify rules allowing developers to build on the green belt where an identical area of land is designated as green belt in place of the lost land. 

Earlier this week the Communities Minister, Andrew Stunell, confirmed the Government's commitment to safeguarding the green belt, in response to reports from the Telegraph and Daily Mail that the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) would be changed to make development on the green belt easier.

The Times predicts that Osborne's proposal will be resisted by Eric Pickles, the Community Secretary and many Conservative MPs.

The NPPF states that the fundamental aim of green belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open, and that the essential characteristics of green belts are their openness and their permanence. The Framework says that green belt boundaries should only be altered in exceptional circumstances, through the preparation or review of the Local Plan, and similarly that new green belts should only be established in exceptional circumstances, such as when planning for larger scale development.

The green belt reform could form part of the Economic Regeneration Bill which is expected to be introduced to Parliament this Autumn.  It is thought that the bill may include measures to relax planning laws and to act "as a push" for major infrastructure projects and deregulation.