Green Belt Development & Grey Belt: Housing Opportunities

jason5843
Jul 5
4 min read

What is the Green Belt?

Green Belt land is one of England’s most important planning designations. Its core purpose is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open, maintaining the separation of towns, safeguarding countryside character, and encouraging regeneration within built-up areas.

But not all Green Belt land is the same. Despite the name, some Green Belt sites are overgrown gardens, paddocks, or previously developed plots that no longer effectively serve those purposes.

Planning policy recognises this complexity. While new housing in the Green Belt is usually considered inappropriate development, national policy allows exceptions — especially for land that does not strongly fulfil Green Belt purposes. This creates opportunities for well-planned, well-evidenced proposals.

Green Belt in the East of England and Surrounding Areas

In the East of England, Green Belt designation is concentrated in areas of high development pressure, particularly around London and Cambridge.

Key Green Belt areas include:

The Metropolitan Green Belt stretching deep into Essex, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire to contain London's growth.
The Cambridge Green Belt, safeguarding the historic city's setting and managing expansion.
Pockets of Green Belt around Stevenage, Luton, and Southend-on-Sea.

While Norfolk and Suffolk themselves have no designated Green Belt, many landowners in these counties own or invest in sites in neighbouring Essex, Hertfordshire, or Cambridgeshire. Understanding these designations is essential when assessing a site's development potential.

Understanding Grey Belt Land

Recognising that not all Green Belt land serves its intended functions equally, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) now identifies the concept of Grey Belt.

Grey Belt is Green Belt land that either is previously developed or fails to strongly serve its purposes (preventing sprawl, separating towns, protecting historic settings).

Under Paragraph 155 of the NPPF, development of homes on Grey Belt land should not be regarded as inappropriate if:

It would not fundamentally undermine the purposes of the wider Green Belt.
There is a demonstrable unmet housing need.
The location is sustainable in terms of transport and access to services.

This framework offers real opportunities for landowners — but only where the evidence supports the case.

Opportunities for Development

These policy tests mean land previously dismissed as “impossible” to develop can sometimes be unlocked.

Sites on village edges may qualify as limited infill. Previously developed sites, such as gardens with outbuildings, may count as Grey Belt suitable for sensitive redevelopment. Larger sites can be promoted for Green Belt release through Local Plan reviews.

However, success depends on proving your case. That requires:

Demonstrating Grey Belt classification.
Evidencing local housing need.
Designing schemes that limit impact on openness.
Showing sustainable transport connections.

What Recent Appeals Tell Us

Recent Planning Inspectorate appeal decisions illustrate how these policy tests are applied in real cases.

For example:

124 Benfleet Road, Thundersley, Essex (APP/M1520/W/24/3353856): The Inspector found the site was Grey Belt under the NPPF definition. With Castle Point Council unable to demonstrate a five-year housing supply and the location being sustainable, the appeal was allowed for a new dwelling despite Green Belt designation.
Land at Junction of Roestock Lane and Bullens Green Lane, Colney Heath, Hertfordshire (APP/B1930/W/24/3342701): This case demonstrated that land considered Grey Belt, with limited contribution to core Green Belt purposes and proximity to services in South Hatfield, could support nine dwellings. The Inspector applied Paragraph 155, accepting unmet housing need and sustainability.
Land Adjacent The Cats Whiskers, Smallford, St Albans (APP/B1930/W/24/3348564) and Land to Rear of Station Road, Smallford (APP/B1930/W/24/3356565): Both decisions accepted that sites qualified as Grey Belt. Inspectors noted the council’s severe housing land supply shortfall and the sites’ sustainable village locations as meeting the NPPF tests.
Bates Green Cottage, Lathom, Skelmersdale, West Lancashire (APP/P2365/W/25/3360264): The Inspector agreed the land was Grey Belt and highlighted the district’s 2.49-year housing supply shortfall, accepting the site’s sustainable location and allowing permission for up to two dwellings.
Bean Cottage, Shellbank Lane, Bean, Kent (APP/T2215/W/25/3359417): Here, although the proposal was found materially larger than the existing dwelling and therefore inappropriate under Paragraph 154, the Inspector’s reasoning still carefully distinguished between typical Green Belt restrictions and the possibility of Grey Belt re-use where scale and design can be justified.

These decisions show that Inspectors are willing to approve well-justified schemes on Grey Belt land — provided they meet policy tests on impact, sustainability, and local housing need.

How Meadows Can Help

At Meadows, we specialise in unlocking the development potential of constrained land — including Green Belt and Grey Belt sites.

We understand the latest national policy, local plan context, and the critical details Inspectors look for in appeal decisions. We use this insight to help clients:

Assess their land’s planning potential.
Navigate complex policy tests.
Prepare robust applications and appeals.
Build strong evidence on sustainability, design, and local housing need.

If you own land in Hertfordshire, Essex, Cambridgeshire, or further afield and are wondering about its true potential, we’d be happy to help you explore it.