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The construction of a building can drastically reduce the ecological and hydrological function of the land in which it’s built upon, and so a sustainable building should look to minimise this and reduce those impacts. Getting planning permission for your development on the Green Belt may be easier than you think. If you have any questions, book a consultation with a green belt architect today for an in-depth conversation. Designated city limits or Green Belts may be a well-tried policy, but their application needs to be specific to the city concerned and its geographical, political and environmental context. Green belt building designers appreciate the importance of social, environmental and economic issues and work to actively address them in a focused, committed and effective manner, promoting an intelligent and considered approach to the way buildings are designed, developed and enjoyed. All local plans, as they progress over time are reviewed and this usually results in some land that was previously protected from development in the local plan, being reconsidered and allocated for various land uses and developments. The concept of boundary and policy reviews in planning is therefore very much part of the process, that is repeated over a period of years. Paragraph 147 of the National Planning Policy Framework states that “inappropriate development is, by definition, harmful to the Green Belt and should not be approved except in very special circumstances." Therefore, the construction of any new buildings would be considered inappropriate development on Green Belts, and as such, you would be required to submit a case for “very special circumstances” which must outweigh the resulting harm to Green Belt land.



The purpose of introducing Green Belts around towns and cities is to counter urban sprawl, coalescence of towns and villages and retain the openness of such areas. As a result, Green Belt planning policy is very restrictive; development deemed to be “inappropriate” is considered to be harmful and is resisted. The NPPF acknowledges that certain other forms of development are also not inappropriate in the Green Belt. One example includes the re-use of buildings, such as the equestrian barn in this case, provided that the buildings are of permanent and substantial construction. Many designers of homes for the green belt have signed the declaration with Architects Declare, which demonstrates their commitment to being a truly sustainable architecture firm. The green belt is being eroded by land being taken, through the local plan process, in order to meet so-called objectively assessed need for housing. Professional assistance in relation to New Forest National Park Planning can make or break a project.

Securing New Development On Green Belt Land

A presumption will be applied that all new developments requiring discharge of waste water should do so to a public sewer to be treated at a public treatment works operated by a water company, unless it is not feasible to do so on grounds of cost or practicality. Green belt planning applications which are likely to have significant landscape impacts should include an assessment of the landscape and visual impact of the proposals and this assessment should include an assessment of both the above components (known as a landscape and visual assessment or LVIA). Building a new home in the countryside is a dream for many but the planning laws make it a very difficult venture to pursue. However, there is an exception cause in the planning law that can offer a glimmer of hope in making building in a rural area a reality. In terms of housebuilding, Green Belt policy is generally favourable to extending or altering an existing building, as long as it is proportionate in size, volume and design. To find out if your property is in the green belt or not, you'll have to go to your local authority's planning page. The green belt has been one of the UK’s most consistent and successful planning policies. Over the past century, it has limited urban sprawl and preserved the countryside around our cities, but is it still fit for purpose in a world of unprecedented urban growth and potentially catastrophic climate change? My thoughts on GreenBelt Land differ on a daily basis.

Councils are increasingly eroding the Green Belt to meet unrealistic and unsustainable housing targets. The Government is proposing to encourage further development in the Green Belt. Our Green Belt is invaluable in preventing urban sprawl and providing the countryside next door for 30 million people. There are 14 Green Belt areas in England, and one around Cardiff in Wales with two more areas proposed in Wales. National planning policy for Green Belt can be found in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in England and in Planning Policy Wales (PPW). Sustainable architecture refers to the practice of designing buildings which create living environments that work to minimize the human use of resources. This is reflected both in a building's construction materials and methods and in its use of resources, such as in heating, cooling, power, water, and wastewater treatment. The Government, publicly at least, are stating their commitment to protecting the country’s Green Belt. This commitment has been made despite the government’s election pledge to build 200,000 new homes per year and with the backdrop of a growing population, significant demand for new homes, increasing affordability issues and the fact that housing construction is at its lowest levels since the early 1940s. Does the Green Belt, as a planning designation, support sustainability by encouraging urban regeneration and concentration of homes, services and employment opportunities; or does it prevent sufficient homes being built, encourage ‘cramming’ of new housing into large urban areas and artificially inflate prices leading to unaffordable housing and leapfrog development beyond the Green Belt boundaries? Key design drivers for Architect London tend to change depending on the context.

Preserving The Setting

When protected countryside is released to developers, it’s not low cost housing they build, but executive homes for the most wealthy. 84% of homes built on Green Belt in recent years have been for the middle or top end of a market that is already unaffordable for most people unless they already have access to existing housing wealth. The NPPF does not give a definition of the policy concept of exceptional circumstances. However, a collection of past court cases, where green belt development proposals have been challenged, denied and/or appealed, has helped formulate the principles of the exceptional circumstances test in relation to local plans and green belt alterations. In our experience, many of the changes people tend to want to make to their homes, such as extensions, external changes or even knocking down and replacing a building are exceptions to the anti-development bent of Green Belt policy, and are often acceptable to local councils. The classic way of finding a self-build plot is to buy an existing property and replace it with a larger one. This is why you sometimes see very small, shabby bungalows in terrible condition being sold for large amounts: because they are bought as building plots, sometimes by over-optimistic buyers who haven’t checked out the planning situation. The green belt is a precious resource that should be used responsibly and passed on to future generations. Conducting viability appraisals with Net Zero Architect is useful from the outset of a project.

The spaces where countryside meets town are often amongst society's most valued and pressured places which together form the rural–urban fringe (RUF). A ‘messy’ yet opportunistic space in policy and decision making processes, the RUF remains confused and ‘disintegrated’ lacking sufficient understanding and explicit attention for sustainable management as places in their own right. Wherever feasible, green belt architects encourage the creative reuse of existing buildings by enabling their adaptable transformation while respecting each building's past and historical context. The public continually demands more complex buildings than in the past. They must serve more purposes, last longer, and require less maintenance and repair. As in the past, they must look attractive. Yet, both building construction and operating costs must be kept within acceptable limits or new construction will cease. To meet this challenge successfully, continual improvements in building design and construction must be made. The majority of Green Belt is categorised as farmed land or woodland. In terms of farm type and quality of land it is similar to much of England, although with a slight overall tendency towards smaller holdings and less mainstream activities. The quality of agricultural land in the Green Belt matches the pattern across the rest of England but with vast differences between Green Belt areas. A green belt architect can submit Planning Applications including obtaining approval for residential and commercial, house extensions, self-build homes, green belt house extensions & replacement dwellings. An understanding of the challenges met by Green Belt Planning Loopholes enhances the value of a project.

Ecological Architecture

Green infrastructure in new development could have a key role in soaking up carbon, absorbing excess rainfall and cooling urban temperatures, as well as being good for our health. It would be fantastic if all our towns and cities had ten times more green space to help wildlife, climate adaptation, food growing, and our own wellbeing. Whether designing and constructing new facilities or proposing retrofits for existing structures, green belt architects carefully select a team of specialized members as consultants and subcontractors to meet the client’s specific needs. Green belt architects can be involved in master planning, and deep whole house retrofits to high quality extensions. Their common theme is the aim to minimise the environmental impact of buildings, whilst offering meaningful value and long term beauty to a place and community. You can get supplementary details about Green Belt Consultants on this Wikipedia entry.

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