Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-05-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what safeguards are in place to ensure that greenbelt land is only built on in exceptional circumstances.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that development in the Green Belt should not be permitted except in very special circumstances. A Green Belt boundary may be adjusted by local planning authorities in exceptional circumstances, using the Local Plan process involving consultation with local people and rigorous examination by the Planning Inspector. Planning guidance is clear that constraints such as Green Belt may limit the ability of a local planning authority to meet its full housing needs.