Rayner 'will clear Green Belt area the size of SURREY' for homes

Angela Rayner is set to allow construction on an area of Green Belt cumulatively larger than Surrey to meet Labour's target of getting 1.5million homes built by 2029. 

The Housing Secretary will tomorrow unveil a major planning overhaul that will allow construction on more of the buffer around major towns and cities.

She is expected to widen the definition of what is classed 'low quality Green Belt' or 'Grey Belt' - which has often already been used for some development but which is still covered by the strictest classification. 

Ms Rayner is taking a tough line over the changes, vowing to take on Not In My Back Yard (Nimby) campaigners and local authorities who throttle much needed housebuilding. 

In the last week she has already over-ruled Buckinghamshire County Council to allow the building of a data centre on designated green belt land by the M25 already being used as an industrial estate. 

But she is set to face pushback over her plan to allow building on more than 640 square miles of land, similar to the area of Surrey, Greater London or Hertfordshire.

BBC presenter and environmentalist Chris Packham told the Times: 'The Green Belt is incredibly important, it was designed to stop urban sprawl and enhance the quality of people's lives. 

'We need to think more creatively about how we can design and build good quality, affordable housing with communities and nature in mind.' 

And the CPRE's Elizabeth Bundred told the paper that 'Grey Belt' was a 'misnomer', adding: 'Our major concern is that it's likely to lead to a flood of speculative planning applications in really inappropriate areas. 

'They've talked about ''weaker performing'' Green Belt but there's no clarity about what that means.

'This policy is just going to encourage sprawl, which is the antithesis of the point of the Green Belt.'

The Government is expected to set out a definition of 'Grey Belt' land later this week as Labour aims to ramp up plans to build more homes. 

Ms Rayner wants to speed up planning applications, with some potentially avoiding scrutiny by local councillors if they meet certain rules.

She is expected to confirm sweeping changes to the National Planning Policy Framework – the document which sets out national priorities for building – following a consultation.

This is expected to see increased housing targets which will be mandatory for the first time.

It will also set out a definition of Grey Belt land that will be included in the framework.

The consultation sets out the Government's position that the default answer to brownfield development should be 'yes'.

But it also notes that 'brownfield development alone will not be enough to meet our housing need'.

It adds: 'To deliver the homes and commercial development this country needs, we are proposing the targeted release of Grey Belt land.'

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said on Wednesday: 'The fact is we face one of the worst housing crises in living memory.

'Home ownership for 19 to 29-year-olds has halved since 1990, that's why through the plan for change we are delivering for people who work hard and yet still dream of home ownership.

'But if we're going to hit our ambitious milestone of 1.5 million homes (…) we are going to need to overhaul the broken planning system.'

The so-called grey belt has been described as low-quality areas of protected Green Belt land – such as disused car parks and wasteland.

Last week the DPM overturned a decision to stop the development of a site in Iver, Buckinghamshire, on economic grounds due to a lack of alternative sites. 

The project was originally blocked by the Conservative-run Buckinghamshire County Council in October 2023 because it found that it constituted 'inappropriate development in the Green Belt'.

The council said it would damage the 'landscape character and appearance and visual effects' of the area. 

However, the site is a current industrial estate that includes a scrap metal recycling plant and a heavy goods vehicle storage. The whole is bordered by the M25, a canal and two water treatment works, and project funder Affinius Capital argued it will bring £670million for the local economy and create 290 jobs.  

The written ruling issued on behalf of Ms Rayner on Friday noted: 'The Secretary of State... considers that the harm to the Green Belt... is clearly outweighed by other considerations. 

'She therefore, in her judgement, considers that there are very special circumstances to justify this development in the Green Belt, and that the Framework's Green Belt test is favourable to the proposal.'

She also pushed through plans for a 'super-prison' on Green Belt land in Lancashire more than three years after the scheme was rejected by locals.

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary has approved the building of a jail holding 1,700 lags near Chorley, despite fears inmates would outnumber the population of local villages.

Chorley Council dismissed the plan for a site in Ulnes Walton in 2021. The site is between two existing prisons. 

But Ms Rayner overruled objections saying harms including the loss of green belt would 'clearly be outweighed by the benefits' and that 'very special circumstances exist which justify approval', the BBC reported.