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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether it is their policy to build on the Green Belt.

The government is committed to a brownfield first approach, in which local authorities are expected to make as much use as possible of suitable brownfield land in sustainable locations. However, we know that in some places brownfield alone will not always be enough to meet development needs. This is why we are asking local authorities who cannot meet their needs to review their Green Belt to identify opportunities to create affordable, well-designed development in sustainable locations. In doing so, we expect local authorities to prioritise the development of brownfield and other low-quality grey belt land.

Where Green Belt land has to be released for major housing development, we have put in place new golden rules to ensure that development delivers higher levels of affordable housing; the provision of new – or improvements to – existing green spaces that are accessible to the public; and the making of necessary improvements to local or national infrastructure.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new National Planning Policy Framework. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to controlling development in the Green Belt. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.