Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring urban brownfield land to be converted into new greenfield land in circumstances where local construction takes place on green belt land.

This Government is committed to making the most of brownfield land in line with our policies in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which sets out that planning policies and decisions should give substantial weight to the value of using suitable brownfield land within settlements. Redeveloping brownfield sites in urban areas makes best use of existing services and infrastructure, promotes sustainable forms of transport and helps remediate contaminated sites. It is right we should make the most of such sites to minimise the need for development of greenfield land and the countryside.

Government attaches great importance to Green Belt and local planning policies and decisions should enhance and protect Green Belt land. Most Green Belt is rural greenfield land, often containing valuable biodiversity, good farming soils, and attractive landscape.  In Green Belt as elsewhere, the NPPF expects local authorities to recognise the importance of the natural environment and the character and beauty of the countryside, and to improve access for sport and recreation. If a local authority cannot avoid loss of Green Belt, it is expected to offset the loss of that land by environmental and access improvements in areas remaining Green Belt.

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill sets out planning measures that will support regeneration by enabling more effective use of land, improving land value capture and supporting infrastructure delivery. Reforms, including clarification on the use of compulsory purchase, will make it easier to assemble brownfield land ready for development, whilst locally led Development Corporations will have planning powers to support regeneration, including provision of new green space and other green infrastructure.