Building on grey belt land

The Government wants to repurpose grey belt land for new homes, with half of them designated as affordable housing. Building on both the grey belt and additional brownfield sites in urban areas will be necessary to meet the Government’s housing targets, but existing green belt rules require demonstrating 'very special circumstances' for planning permission. At present, planning approval for development within these areas is challenging; but with this renewed focus, sites such as a disused petrol station in a green belt area would be more likely to receive a favourable planning outcome. Although such sites can come with their own issues.

There is a potential risk to developers who assume that focusing on these grey belt sites will avoid the complexities and anomalies that developments on brownfield land bring. It is likely that a number of these grey belt sites will present challenging land contamination and ground stability issues, so it is essential to conduct comprehensive due diligence and a feasibility assessment before any acquisition. This not only helps to avoid inheriting unforeseen liabilities, but can also help to identify solutions that offer a competitive edge.

If properly managed, the development of grey belt sites could not only satisfy housing needs but also yield a net positive impact on the environment. This can be accomplished by decontaminating polluted land, mitigating risks to vulnerable ecological receptors, and fostering a net increase in biodiversity via enhancements in development practices. Effective delivery of these elements will also help ensure the Government can meet its commitment in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill of 'using development to fund nature recovery'.

Land that may be dismissed as ‘ugly’ or classed as wasteland – and therefore likely to be defined as grey belt – may in fact serve as an important habitat for protected species. In our experience, many sites encompassing rubble and landfill areas have actually evolved into valuable habitats for protected species, such as reptiles, ponds containing great crested newts, and areas used by ground nesting birds. On the challenging end of the spectrum, areas of wasteland might harbour invasive species like Japanese knotweed, which will require management and control measures.