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National Housing Federation and Barratt Homes to give evidence to Lords Grey Belt inquiry

Monday 04 November

At 10.45am on Tuesday 5 November 2024, the House of Lords Built Environment Committee will hear evidence from:

  • Marie Chadwick, Policy Leader, National Housing Federation
  • Philip Barnes, Land and Planning Director, Barratt.

This evidence session, which is open to the public, will be held in Committee Room 3 of the House of Lords and streamed live on Parliament TV.

Questions are likely to include:

  • Whether the proposed definition of Grey belt land is clear enough for developers to identify such land with confidence
  • Whether the Grey Belt creates opportunities for housing development beyond those afforded under the existing regime
  • The scale of the development opportunities afforded by the proposed Grey Belt designation
  • The attractiveness of grey belt land for development
  • Whether the 50 per cent affordable housing target is appropriate for all development on Grey Belt land
  • Whether the National Planning Policy Framework’s proposed approach to benchmark land values for Green Belt developments takes sufficient account of regional differences in value
  • The suitability of Grey Belt land for sustainable development

More on this inquiry

The new Government has set itself a target of building 1.5 million homes over the next five years. However, developers have warned that building only on brownfield sites will not be sufficient to meet this target. As a result, the Government has proposed revising the National Planning Policy Framework and has conducted a consultation on its proposals for releasing Green Belt land. A key element of its proposals is the creation of a new designation of “Grey Belt” land.

This short inquiry aims to gain a better understanding of what will constitute Grey Belt land, how this new designation might contribute to meeting the Government’s housing targets, and what sustainable development within the Grey Belt might look like.

During the inquiry, the Committee will consider the Government’s proposed “golden rules” for ensuring that development on Green Belt land released under these processes benefits the public. These include the inclusion of affordable housing, infrastructure, and enhanced green space in any such development. The committee will also assess the likely impact of these golden rules on the likelihood of successful development in the Grey Belt.

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