THE GREEN BELT
There are
separate Green Belts surrounding nearly all the major towns in
Check
the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas.
Prevent
neighbouring towns from merging.
Assist
in safeguarding the countryside.
Preserve
the setting and character of historic towns.
To
assist and encourage urban regeneration.
The extent of
the Green Belt in your locality will be identified on the Proposals Maps
contained within a Local Plan or Unitary development Plan etc for your area.
Within the
Green Belt permission to carry out 'development' is severely
restricted and planning consent is only granted in a limited number of
circumstances. These include:-
certain
agricultural and forestry related building and uses.
outdoor
sporting uses and essential ancillary facilities.
minor
works to existing residential properties.
works
of national interest or importance.
In the main
the majority of proposals for development will only be granted planning
permission if they can justify that there are "very special
circumstances" why permission should be granted.
Although the
principles of Green Belt protection are common to all designated Green Belts,
Local Plans do apply some very limited policy interpretations to reflect local
circumstances. You should check the Green Belt policies set out in your Local
Plan to establish what you may or may not be able to do.
Green Belt
boundaries can be altered from time to time in response to the needs and
pressures for development. Proposals for change are brought forward as part of
a Councils' development plan review and will
inevitably attract considerable interest and debate. However, even so,
boundaries may only be altered in exceptional circumstances.
Detailed
guidance on Green Belts is set out in 'Planning Policy Guidance Note 2:Green
Belts' available from HMSO bookshops, or in Scotland the Scottish
Development Department Circular 24/1985 available from the Scottish
Development department, New St Andrews House, St James Centre, Edinburgh EH1
3SZ.
Main
libraries may also hold copies for inspection.