Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the written ministerial statement of 30 July 2024 entitled Building the homes we need, HCWS48, what the evidential basis is for the assessment that large areas of the Green Belt have little ecological value.

The latest official Land Use statistics are available at gov.uk here. As these set out, 6.8% of the Green Belt is already developed land. This includes 24,400ha of land which is hardstanding (usually car parks, paved areas, tarmac, or other similar construct). Less than 13% of land in the Green Belt is subject to an environmental designation or other protected area.

In planning terms, the Green Belt serves a number of specific purposes, but the fundamental aim of green belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open. The Green Belt is not an environmental designation.