Time to loosen the green belt? Victoria Du Croz quoted in Property Week

The Labour Party has pledged to unlock ‘grey-belt’ land to tackle the housing shortage – but what planning issues could they be faced with? Head of Planning, Victoria Du Croz, shared her views in Property Week.

“We don’t have a legal or policy concept of what grey belt is, The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out five purposes of the green belt. So, would developers have to show that area of green belt doesn’t meet all five of those purposes, just one of them or some of them for it to be considered grey belt?

I think (Labour’s proposal) shows the misunderstanding about what green-belt land is and what purpose it serves… Many think it’s quintessential rolling green fields, but green-belt land doesn’t need to have any ecological or biodiversity value or any right of access for the public.”

Read the full article here to understand more about the planning hurdles that could impact Labour’s proposed plans.