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New inquiry launches into grey belt housing development
The House of Lords Built Environment Committee has launched an inquiry into grey belt development in England.
The probe comes as the new government has set itself a target of building 1.5 million homes in five years and reintroduced mandatory local housing targets.
In the days after the general election, Inside Housing assembled its new development panel to discuss exactly how that target can be reached.
The government has proposed revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and is consulting on a process for releasing green belt land, which includes designating some of it as grey belt.
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Lord Moylan, chair of the House of Lords Built Environment Committee, said: “Finding enough land for new housing will be key to whether the government can achieve its housing targets. Designating some green belt land as grey belt may help it to do that.
“Our inquiry will look at how the government and local authorities might identify grey belt areas thought suitable for development and how to ensure new homes are supported by the necessary infrastructure and local amenities.
“To inform our work, we want to hear from as broad a range of people as possible. If you have a view on any aspect of our inquiry, look at our call for evidence and let us know what you think.
“This short inquiry will seek to gain a better understanding of what grey belt land is, how it can contribute to housing targets and what sustainable grey belt development looks like.
“As part of its work, the committee will consider the government’s proposed ’golden rules’ of the sequential test for land release, and the requirements for the delivery of affordable housing provision, infrastructure and enhanced green spaces and how they may affect the success of developments in the grey belt.”
The committee is seeking answers to eight questions as part of the inquiry. The deadline for the submission of written evidence is 14 October.
Under the new NPPF, which Inside Housing looked at in detail, it is easier for developers to argue that land should be released from the green belt for building. The document states that green belt boundaries should be altered when a council cannot meet its housing need through other means.
Where it is necessary to release green belt land, plans should first consider “previously developed land in sustainable locations”, then grey belt land that is not previously developed, and then “other sustainable green belt locations”.
This latest inquiry also comes as the government launched its New Homes Accelerator that will involve 15 civil servants from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and Homes England working across government and with councils to speed up the delivery of delayed schemes.
Early government estimates have suggested there are 200 large sites in England that could deliver “up to 300,000 new homes”, according to MHCLG.
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