Planning representatives to give evidence to Lords Grey Belt inquiry

• Victoria Hills, Chief Executive at the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)
• Dr Hugh Ellis, Policy Director at the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA).

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

Questions the committee is likely to ask include:

• Is the proposed Grey Belt definition and policy clear enough for planning officers to implement without delay?
• To what extent will Grey Belt proposals contribute to the Government’s objective of developing land for housing at pace?
• Using the proposed definitions, how much land do witnesses think could be categorised as “Grey Belt”?
• How will the planning process for Green Belt development differ under the new proposals?
• Will the proposals result in Grey Belt developments that are also good places to live with good transport connections?
• What factors will affect the viability of achieving 50 per cent affordable housing?
• Will there be much variation in the challenges and opportunities of Grey Belt development across the country?
• Are there likely to be any unintended consequences from the Grey Belt proposals as they are currently drafted?

More on this inquiry

The new Government has set itself a target of building 1.5 million homes in five years and developers have warned that meeting increasing housing demand will not be achieved by only building on brownfield sites.

The Government has proposed revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and is consulting on a process for releasing Green Belt land. This includes creating a new designation of “Grey Belt” land.

This short inquiry will seek to gain a better understanding of what Grey Belt land is, how it can contribute to housing targets and what sustainable Grey Belt development looks like.

As part of its work, the committee will consider the Government’s proposed “golden rules” of the sequential test for land release, and the requirements for the delivery of affordable housing provision, infrastructure and enhanced green spaces and how they may affect the success of developments in the Grey Belt.