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771409

	registered interest
	date	16/10/2017
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Green Belt
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many hectares of land in England have been (a) declassified and (b) classified as greenbelt in each of the last 20 years.
	tabling member constituency	Denton and Reddish
	tabling member printed	Andrew Gwynne
	uin	107803
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2017 answer text <p>It is for local authorities to consider changes to the Green Belt. Only in exceptional circumstances may a local authority alter its Green Belt, by means of the Local Plan process. Local authorities are expected to report any Green Belt boundary change found to be justified, to inform the Local Authority Green Belt Statistics that we publish annually. From the statistics available for past years, the figures are set out in the table below.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Total declassified area (hectares)</p></td><td><p>Total classified area (hectares)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>30</p></td><td><p>30</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>130</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>850</p></td><td><p>460</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>540</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15</p></td><td><p>1,980</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>1,030</p></td><td><p>10</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>790</p></td><td><p>-</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p>- = negligible (fewer than five hectares)</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The figures included in the table are the rounded sum of unrounded values and therefore may not sum to the net changes published in the statistical releases of each year.</p><p>These figures are based on changes published in each year’s statistical release and do not reflect any subsequent revisions.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 23/10/2017 16:08:07 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	1506 label Biography information for Andrew Gwynne

802697

	registered interest
	date	07/12/2017
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Green Belt
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December to Question 117028, what assessment he has made of whether alterations made by local authorities to the shape of their green belts have been consistent with the criteria set out in his answer.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	118246
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2017 answer text <p>Under the National Planning Policy Framework, local authorities can alter the shape of their Green Belt only in exceptional circumstances. They do this through their Local Plan. This involves rigorous consultation in public and consideration by a planning inspector at examination, who then makes a formal determination on whether the submitted Plan is sound. It is for each Plan to be found sound if it is properly prepared, justified, effective and consistent with national policy in the Framework.</p><p>In the Housing White Paper, <em>Fixing our broken housing market</em>, we recognised the need for more clarity on the exceptional circumstances in which a Green Belt boundary change can be proposed and consulted on a criteria. We are currently considering the responses and will implement any policy changes in a revision of the National Planning Policy Framework as soon as practicable in 2018.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 12/12/2017 16:52:11 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

582462

	registered interest
	date	13/09/2016
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Green Belt
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will amend national planning policies so that development of land designated as Green Belt will be resisted until the implications of the UK exiting the EU, and its effect on population and household projections, have been fully assessed and new projections issued for the use of local planning authorities.
	tabling member constituency	North Warwickshire
	tabling member printed	Craig Tracey
	uin	46295
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/09/2016 answer text <p>In line with our manifesto commitment, the government is committed to strong protection of Green Belt land. Local authorities are responsible for designating Green Belt land, as explained in our National Planning Policy Framework. Only in exceptional circumstances may a local authority alter a Green Belt boundary. Applications for most types of development within the Green Belt are inappropriate and should be refused permission except in very special circumstances. Latest figures for 2015-16 show Green Belt continuing to cover around 13 per cent of England.</p> answering member constituency Croydon Central answering member printed Gavin Barwell question first answered 19/09/2016 14:13:16 answering member 3955 label Biography information for Lord Barwell
	tabling member	4509 label Biography information for Craig Tracey

850122

	registered interest
	date	26/02/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Green Belt
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government intends to revise its local planning guidance for the Green Belt.
	tabling member constituency	Mitcham and Morden
	tabling member printed	Siobhain McDonagh
	uin	129690
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/03/2018 answer text <p>This Government has a clear manifesto commitment to maintain strong protections for Green Belt. This will be carried forward in the revision of the National Planning Policy Framework, which was published for consultation on 5 March 2018. We will review the draft Framework in the light of the consultation responses we receive, before issuing the new Framework later in the year. At the same time we will consider what supporting guidance will be necessary.</p> answering member constituency Esher and Walton answering member printed Dominic Raab question first answered 06/03/2018 12:48:08 answering member 4007 label Biography information for Dominic Raab
	tabling member	193 label Biography information for Dame Siobhain McDonagh

166951

	registered interest
	date	01/12/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Green Belt
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what further steps his Department has taken to help local authorities execute their responsibilities in relation to plan-making and protection for the greenbelt.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	216573
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/01/2015 answer text <p>The Coalition Government has ensured that strong protections for the Green Belt are in place. The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that most types of new building are inappropriate in Green Belt and by definition, harmful to it. Such development should not be approved except in very special circumstances. Green Belt boundaries can be altered only in exceptional circumstances following local consultation and independent scrutiny of the Local Plan. The total amount of Green Belt in England has remained constant at 13 per cent.<br><br>In October we issued additional guidance to help local authorities allocate land appropriately in Local Plans [http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/blog/guidance/housing-and-economic-land-availability-assessment/stage-5-final-evidence-base/]. This underlines the importance of Green Belt protection.<br><br><br>The Localism Act 2011 has strengthened the role of Local Plans and abolished the last Administration's top-down Regional Strategies which sought to delete the Green Belt in and around 30 towns and cities. Our streamlined Framework strongly encourages areas to get up-to-date Local Plans in place, and we have been actively supporting councils in doing so. We have recently seen a major improvement: 80 per cent of authorities now have a published Plan. To place this in context, six years after the Labour Government's 2004 Planning Act, by May 2010, only one in six local planning authorities had an adopted Core Strategy, reflecting how the tortuous regional planning process slowed down development and stymied local plan-making and local decision-making.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 06/01/2015 17:22:49 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

390721

	registered interest
	date	16/07/2015
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Green Belt
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the level of building on greenbelt sites in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	City of Durham
	tabling member printed	Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods
	uin	7663
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2015 answer text <p>An estimate of the amount of development on Green Belt land in the year 2011 was published in the Department’s Land Use Change Statistics in 2013:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/land-use-change-statistics-in-england-2011" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/land-use-change-statistics-in-england-2011</a></p><p> </p><p>Land Use Change Statistics for the year 2013-14, produced using a new and better methodology that will allow more detailed statistical and spatial analysis will be published on 6 August.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 21/07/2015 15:03:57 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	1501 label Biography information for Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods

672051

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2017
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Green Belt
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of greenbelt land in (a) Greater Manchester, (b) the North West and (c) England the public has access to.
	tabling member constituency	Blackley and Broughton
	tabling member printed	Graham Stringer
	uin	59812
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/01/2017 answer text <p>The Government does not collect this information, but our National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that local authorities should seek to enhance public access and to provide opportunities for outdoor sport and recreation on Green Belt land. Relevant local authorities should have information on public footpaths and rights of way, on registered commons, and on the playing fields, parks and other open spaces they own or manage within their Green Belt. However, most Green Belt land is agricultural and privately owned.</p> answering member constituency Croydon Central answering member printed Gavin Barwell question first answered 17/01/2017 17:32:24 answering member 3955 label Biography information for Lord Barwell previous answer version 30245 answering member constituency Croydon Central answering member printed Gavin Barwell answering member 3955 label Biography information for Lord Barwell
	tabling member	449 label Biography information for Graham Stringer

798634

	registered interest
	date	01/12/2017
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Green Belt
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department's policy on supporting the Green Belt has changed since his Department published its National Planning Policy Framework in 2012; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Welwyn Hatfield
	tabling member printed	Grant Shapps
	uin	117028
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2017 answer text <p>Ministers recently reaffirmed the Government’s clear manifesto commitment to maintaining the strong protections for Green Belt, which are set out in the National Planning Policy Framework. The Framework makes clear that a local authority may alter the shape of its Green Belt only in exceptional circumstances, using the Local Plan process. The Framework does not define ‘exceptional circumstances’. However, in the Housing White Paper, <em>Fixing our broken housing market</em>, we proposed that a local authority should be able to adjust a Green Belt boundary only when it demonstrates that it has examined all other reasonable options for meeting its identified development needs<strong>,</strong> including:</p><p>- effective use of suitable brownfield land;</p><p>- the potential offered by under-used land;</p><p>- optimising the density of development; and</p><p>- exploring whether other authorities can help to meet some of the identified development requirement.</p><p>We have been analysing the consultation responses on this proposed clarification, and will announce our conclusions as soon as possible in 2018.</p><p>Since records began in 1997, Green Belt has continued to cover around 13 per cent of England, and overall we consider that national policy has successfully restrained urban sprawl. Where necessary, a local authority in consultation with the community can propose a Green Belt boundary change, as part of its Local Plan process, but the revised Plan is subject to rigorous, formal examination by a planning inspector before it is adopted.</p><p>The Framework is not law, but the law does require local authorities engaged in Plan-making to have regard to the Framework.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 117029 117030 117031 question first answered 06/12/2017 17:46:37 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps

798635

	registered interest
	date	01/12/2017
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Green Belt
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether local planning authorities can cite Green Belt restraints as a reason for not meeting housing targets under the Objectively Assessed Housing Need.
	tabling member constituency	Welwyn Hatfield
	tabling member printed	Grant Shapps
	uin	117029
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2017 answer text <p>Ministers recently reaffirmed the Government’s clear manifesto commitment to maintaining the strong protections for Green Belt, which are set out in the National Planning Policy Framework. The Framework makes clear that a local authority may alter the shape of its Green Belt only in exceptional circumstances, using the Local Plan process. The Framework does not define ‘exceptional circumstances’. However, in the Housing White Paper, <em>Fixing our broken housing market</em>, we proposed that a local authority should be able to adjust a Green Belt boundary only when it demonstrates that it has examined all other reasonable options for meeting its identified development needs<strong>,</strong> including:</p><p>- effective use of suitable brownfield land;</p><p>- the potential offered by under-used land;</p><p>- optimising the density of development; and</p><p>- exploring whether other authorities can help to meet some of the identified development requirement.</p><p>We have been analysing the consultation responses on this proposed clarification, and will announce our conclusions as soon as possible in 2018.</p><p>Since records began in 1997, Green Belt has continued to cover around 13 per cent of England, and overall we consider that national policy has successfully restrained urban sprawl. Where necessary, a local authority in consultation with the community can propose a Green Belt boundary change, as part of its Local Plan process, but the revised Plan is subject to rigorous, formal examination by a planning inspector before it is adopted.</p><p>The Framework is not law, but the law does require local authorities engaged in Plan-making to have regard to the Framework.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 117028 117030 117031 question first answered 06/12/2017 17:46:37 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps

798636

	registered interest
	date	01/12/2017
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Green Belt
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the (a) regulations that apply to and (b) role in national planning of the Green Belt; and if he will make a statement?
	tabling member constituency	Welwyn Hatfield
	tabling member printed	Grant Shapps
	uin	117030
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2017 answer text <p>Ministers recently reaffirmed the Government’s clear manifesto commitment to maintaining the strong protections for Green Belt, which are set out in the National Planning Policy Framework. The Framework makes clear that a local authority may alter the shape of its Green Belt only in exceptional circumstances, using the Local Plan process. The Framework does not define ‘exceptional circumstances’. However, in the Housing White Paper, <em>Fixing our broken housing market</em>, we proposed that a local authority should be able to adjust a Green Belt boundary only when it demonstrates that it has examined all other reasonable options for meeting its identified development needs<strong>,</strong> including:</p><p>- effective use of suitable brownfield land;</p><p>- the potential offered by under-used land;</p><p>- optimising the density of development; and</p><p>- exploring whether other authorities can help to meet some of the identified development requirement.</p><p>We have been analysing the consultation responses on this proposed clarification, and will announce our conclusions as soon as possible in 2018.</p><p>Since records began in 1997, Green Belt has continued to cover around 13 per cent of England, and overall we consider that national policy has successfully restrained urban sprawl. Where necessary, a local authority in consultation with the community can propose a Green Belt boundary change, as part of its Local Plan process, but the revised Plan is subject to rigorous, formal examination by a planning inspector before it is adopted.</p><p>The Framework is not law, but the law does require local authorities engaged in Plan-making to have regard to the Framework.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 117028 117029 117031 question first answered 06/12/2017 17:46:37 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps