National Planning Policy Framework, Annex E: Green Belt assessments
This is Annex E of the National Planning Policy Framework.
Applies to England
This is Annex E of the National Planning Policy Framework.
1. Green Belt assessments should:
a. Identify the location and appropriate scale of the area or areas to be assessed, and in doing so:
i. Consider all Green Belt within the plan area in the first instance;
ii. Be broadly consistent with any Strategic Green Belt assessment in an adopted Spatial Development Strategy;
iii. Ensure assessment areas are small enough to enable variations in their contribution to the Green Belt purposes to be assessed;
iv. Facilitate identifying areas of grey belt by subdividing areas into smaller assessment units where this is necessary; and
v. Consider where it may be appropriate to vary the size of assessment areas based on local circumstances. For example, the assessment of smaller areas may be appropriate in certain places, such as around existing settlements or public transport hubs or corridors.
b. Identify areas of grey belt land, as defined in the glossary at Annex B, by evaluating the contribution each assessment area makes to Green Belt purposes (a), (b) and (d) set out in policy GB2, using the criteria below.
c. Identify whether the release or development of the assessment area(s) would fundamentally undermine the five Green Belt purposes (taken together) of the remaining Green Belt when considered across the area of the plan.
2. When making judgements as to whether land is grey belt, authorities should consider the contribution that assessment areas make to Green Belt purposes (a), (b) and (d). Considerations for informing these judgements are set out below:
Purpose A – to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas
3. This purpose relates to the sprawl of large built-up areas. Villages should not be considered large built-up areas.
| Contribution | Illustrative features |
|---|---|
| Strong | Assessment areas that contribute strongly are likely to be free of existing development, and lack physical feature(s) in reasonable proximity that could restrict and contain development. They are also likely to include all of the following features: - Be adjacent or near to a large built-up area; and - If developed, result in an incongruous pattern of development (such as an extended ‘finger’ of development into the Green Belt). |
| Moderate | Assessment areas that contribute moderately are likely to be adjacent or near to a large built-up area, but include one or more features that weaken the land’s contribution to purpose A, such as (but not limited to): - Having physical feature(s) in reasonable proximity that could restrict and contain development; - Be partially enclosed by existing development, such that new development would not result in an incongruous pattern of development; - Contain existing development; and/or - Being subject to other urbanising influences. |
| Weak or None | Assessment areas that make only a weak or no contribution are likely to include those that: - Are not adjacent to or near to a large built-up area; or - Are adjacent to or near to a large built-up area, but containing or being largely enclosed by significant existing development. |
Purpose B – to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another
4. This purpose relates to the merging of towns[footnote 77], not villages.
| Contribution | Illustrative Features |
|---|---|
| Strong | Assessment areas that contribute strongly are likely to be free of existing development and include all of the following features: - Forming a substantial part of a gap between towns; and - If developed, would be likely to result in the loss of visual separation of towns. |
| Moderate | Assessment areas that contribute moderately are likely to be located in a gap between towns, but include one or more features that weaken their contribution to this purpose, such as (but not limited to): - Forming a small part of the gap between towns; and/or - Being able to be developed without the loss of visual separation between towns. This could be (but is not limited to) due to the presence or the close proximity of structures, natural landscape elements or topography that preserve visual separation. |
| Weak or None | Assessment areas that contribute weakly are likely to include those that: - Do not form part of a gap between towns; or - Form part of a gap between towns, but only a very small part of this gap, without making a contribution to visual separation. |
Purpose D – to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns
5. This purpose relates to historic towns, not villages. Where there are no historic towns in the plan area, it may not be necessary to provide detailed assessments against this purpose.
| Contribution | Illustrative Features |
|---|---|
| Strong | Assessment areas that contribute strongly are likely be free of existing development and to include all of the following features: - Form part of the setting of the historic town; and - Make a considerable contribution to the special character of a historic town. This could be (but is not limited to) as a result of being within, adjacent to, or of significant visual importance to the historic aspects of the town. |
| Moderate | Assessment areas that perform moderately are likely to form part of the setting and/or contribute to the special character of a historic town, but include one or more features that weaken their contribution to this purpose, such as (but not limited to): - Being separated to some extent from historic aspects of the town by existing development or topography; - Containing existing development; and/or - Not having an important visual, physical or experiential relationship to historic aspects of the town. |
| Weak or None | Assessment areas that make no or only a weak contribution are likely to include those that: - Do not form part of the setting of a historic town; or - Have no visual, physical, or experiential connection to the historic aspects of the town. |
This is Annex E of the National Planning Policy Framework
Continue to Annex F: Managing flood risk and coastal change.
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Footnotes
77. For this purpose ‘towns’ includes cities. ↩