Green belts

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Green belts are swathes of land protected from development through policy. The fundamental aim of green belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open. The essential characteristics of green belts are their openness and permanence.

See Practice Note: Green belts.

Policy

National policies relating to green belts in England are set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The NPPF states that the government attaches great importance to green belts. There is a general presumption against inappropriate development unless very special circumstances can be demonstrated to show that the benefits of the development will outweigh the harm caused to the green belt. The NPPF sets out what would constitute appropriate development in the green belt. The NPPF was updated in December 2024 to make significant changes to green belt policy in England to enable more development to take place in the green belt in specified circumstances. This is supplemented by Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) on the green belt.

For more information see Practice Note: Development in the green belt.

Wales

In Wales, national planning policy on green belts is set out in Planning

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Latest Planning News

Planning weekly highlights—11 September 2025

This week’s edition of Planning weekly highlights includes: court decisions quashing decisions of various LPAs’ in relation to failures to publish a section 106 agreement, consider the impact on ancient woodland and a heritage building, and publish a key ecological report; guidance on commonly used NSIP terminology and abbreviations; and the launch of a new collection page providing details of Crown Developments and Urgent Crown Developments.

Historic England publishes guidance on environmental performance of historic buildings

Historic England has published new guidance describing the factors that affect the environmental performance of traditionally constructed historic buildings. The document explains how internal environmental conditions impact both the building fabric and its contents and sets out measures to minimise deterioration risks when planning remedial works, upgrades or alterations. The guidance, aimed at building professionals, custodians and owners of historic buildings who are planning repair or alteration projects, covers topics such as environmental parameters, inherent building performance, modification approaches and conservation-specific assessment methods.

Prior approval quashed for failure to address heritage and woodland impacts (Andrew Rickards v East Hertfordshire DC)

Planning analysis: In Andrew Rickards v East Hertfordshire DC, the court held that a GPDO Part 6 prior approval was unlawful because the officer’s report failed to address impacts on designated assets, specifically ancient woodland and a Grade II listed building, and the approval was therefore quashed.

MHCLG launches collection page for Crown Development applications and decisions

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has launched a new collection page that provides details on applications and decisions regarding Crown Developments and Urgent Crown Developments. As the page has only recently been created, no applications or decisions are currently listed.

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