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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the percentage of designated Green Belt in each constituency to be re-classified Grey Belt under the changes proposed to the National Planning Policy Framework.

In our consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system, it was suggested that grey belt land be defined as Green Belt land which makes a limited contribution to the Green Belt’s purposes, as set out in paragraph 143 of the current NPPF.

The government is proposing that assessments of what land is identified as grey belt be undertaken by local planning authorities themselves, informed by relevant guidance. As such, the Department is unable to provide the estimate requested.