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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

169072

	registered interest
	date	09/12/2014
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will list those green belts in which they are considering the removal of existing green belt protection from development.
	tabling member printed	Lord Marlesford
	uin	HL3562
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2014 answer text <p>As pledged in the collation Agreement, this Government has safeguarded national Green Belt protection. We have abolished the top-down Regional Strategies of the last Administration which sought to delete the Green Belt in and around 30 towns and cities.</p><p> </p><p>In recent months, we have published waste planning policy which increases protection of the Green Belt; issued planning guidance which re-affirms the importance of the Green Belt during Local Plan preparation; and have consulted on proposed changes to planning policy on traveller sites to further increase Green Belt safeguards.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 16/12/2014 14:32:20 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	1854 label Biography information for Lord Marlesford

177848

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2015
	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, how many hectares of greenbelt land there are in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Inverclyde
	tabling member printed	Iain McKenzie
	uin	223366
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2015 answer text <p>The extent of the designated Green Belt in England in 2013/14 was estimated at 1,638,610 hectares. Disregarding land re-classified as National Park, the Green Belt is 34,000 hectares larger than in 1997.</p><p>Designation of Green Belt outside of England is a matter for the relevant devolved administrations.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 12/02/2015 17:10:29 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis previous answer version 43615 answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	4246 label Biography information for Iain McKenzie

384586

	registered interest
	date	22/06/2015
	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, with reference to the report entitled Green Belt Under Development by Glenigan Constructing Insight, dated August 2014, what assessment he has made of the causes of the changes in the number of planning approvals on the green belt over the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	York Outer
	tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
	uin	3395
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2015 answer text <p>Most planning approvals in Green Belt are non-residential, many in support of agriculture. National planning policy makes clear that most forms of development in Green Belt are inappropriate. Local planning authorities, in consultation with local communities, are in charge of protecting their Green Belt in line with policy in the National Planning Policy Framework. If inappropriate development is proposed, the local planning authority has to determine whether the harm to the Green Belt, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, and whether there are very special circumstances to justify planning permission.<br><br></p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 30/06/2015 11:18:47 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

385358

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2015
	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 steps the Government is taking to protect the green belt; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Hertsmere
	tabling member printed	Oliver Dowden
	uin	4220
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2015 answer text <p>National planning policy gives strong protection to the Green Belt, making clear that most development is inappropriate, and that Green Belt should be altered only in exceptional circumstances, through the Local Plan process, and in consultation with the local community. <br><br>Local planning authorities are responsible for managing Green Belt in line with national policy set out in the National Planning Policy Framework. Local planning authorities must have due regard to national policies – including Green Belt - in planning to meet housing and other needs which indicate that development should be restricted.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 03/07/2015 13:07:08 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	4441 label Biography information for Oliver Dowden

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

420521

	registered interest
	date	12/10/2015
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of green belt policy since 2010 in England.
	tabling member printed	Lord Patten
	uin	HL2496
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2015 answer text <p>We have ensured strong protection for Green Belt in national planning policy, making clear that most new building is inappropriate there; and that a Green Belt boundary may be altered only in exceptional circumstances, using the Local Plan process. We abolished regional housing targets that threatened the Green Belt. Green Belt area remains constant at 13 per cent of England, successfully restraining unwanted urban sprawl in many areas. The Green Belt is 34,000 hectares larger than in 1997 if we disregard land reclassified as national park.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 21/10/2015 15:12:23 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

442570

	registered interest
	date	05/01/2016
	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, what his policy is on the priority that should be given to maintaining Green Belt land in Local Plans in areas where there is unmet housing need.
	tabling member constituency	Tewkesbury
	tabling member printed	Mr Laurence Robertson
	uin	21089
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2016 answer text <p>Green Belt is protected by local authorities in line with national policy set out in the National Planning Policy Framework. The Framework states that permanence is an essential characteristic of Green Belt, and that a Green Belt boundary may be altered only in exceptional circumstances, using the Local Plan. Our supporting Guidance reminds local authorities that, in planning to meet their objectively assessed local housing needs, they must have due regard to national policies (including Green Belt policy) which indicate that development should be restricted and which may restrain the ability of an authority to meet all its needs. This applies even where there is no up-to-date Plan. It is for the Planning Inspector examining a revised Local Plan to determine whether it is based on sound evidence and in line with national policy.</p><br /> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 11/01/2016 16:48:34 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	253 label Biography information for Mr Laurence Robertson

447989

	registered interest
	date	26/01/2016
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of how many new homes will be built on green belt land in England during 2016.
	tabling member printed	Lord Patten
	uin	HL5483
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2016 answer text <p>We do not collate information centrally on the number of sites that are available for residential development. Local planning authorities are required to identify and update annually a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide five years worth of housing against their housing requirements. Whether those sites are in the Green Belt is again a matter for local planning authorities to consider in line with national planning policy, which makes clear that Green Belt boundaries should be altered only in exceptional circumstances.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 03/02/2016 16:41:14 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

448228

	registered interest
	date	27/01/2016
	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, what guidance his Department has issued on whether the existence of extant planning permission for development in the Green Belt would count as exceptional circumstances to permit a planning application for an alternative, less intrusive form of development in that location.
	tabling member constituency	Hertsmere
	tabling member printed	Oliver Dowden
	uin	24534
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2016 answer text <p>An extant planning permission does not prevent consideration of a further planning application for the same site. It would be for the local authority to assess each proposal on its merits, in the light of all material considerations, including the protections for Green Belt set out in our National Planning Policy Framework. If the development proposed would be inappropriate in Green Belt, the Framework states that planning permission should generally be refused. However, if the local authority finds that any harms caused by the development would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, and that very special circumstances justify planning permission, permission may be granted. If necessary the local authority can impose planning conditions or require design changes to mitigate any adverse impact.</p><p>A Local Development Order or Supplementary Planning Guidance would also have to be designed by the local authority to accord with policies in the Framework, including the need to protect the openness of Green Belt land.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis grouped question UIN 24535 question first answered 04/02/2016 16:14:17 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	4441 label Biography information for Oliver Dowden