With the Government looking to free up land for new homes by re-designating some green belt land as “grey belt”, and stating that 50% of the housing on it would need to be affordable, the question has to be asked – “What is Grey Belt”?
Examples such as former petrol stations or car parks have been cited and generally, grey belt has been described as land that has been previously developed which makes a “limited contribution” to the purposes of green belt.
However, as discussed in this Inside Housing article, this is potentially subjective and concerns are being raised that, without a clear definition / guidance, the term “limited contribution” could be open to challenge and lengthy litigation.
With Knight Frank having previously predicted that between 100,000 and 200,000 new homes could be built on grey belt land; I hope clarity comes quickly.
Housing sector bodies have urged the government to make its definition of grey belt land more specific