A greenbelt is a designated area of land that is protected from development to preserve its natural beauty and provide open space for recreational use. In London, the Green Belt was established in 1938 to prevent the uncontrolled growth of the city and to maintain a clear separation between urban and rural areas. The Green Belt covers an area of approximately 516,000 hectares, or about 22% of the total land area of Greater London.
Category Archives: Green Belt
Our Ultimate Guide to Greenbelt Planning Loopholes in 2023
The Metropolitan Greenbelt is a special land designation introduced by the UK government in 1935 as a national planning policy setting out strong guidelines that aim to protect the UK countryside against urban sprawl and overdevelopment. Whilst the majority of people will usually refer to, “the greenbelt,” there are actually quite a few of them, the largest being the circle of theoretically undeveloped green space around London, extending between Guildford (South-West), St Albans (North-West), Chelmsford (North-East) and Tonbridge (South-East).
Whilst the green belt designation is notoriously a difficult one to manoeuvre around, it is intended as a guideline, and one that is difficult but not impossible to navigate. Welcome to our Ultimate Guide to Greenbelt Planning Loopholes 2023!
Building on Green Belt Land – The Scene is Changing
The concept of the green belt was first introduced back in 1935 as a special land designation wrapping around the major cities (and some larger towns) in the UK in order to protect the sense of openness in the natural context. Without strict guidance, it was predicted that high levels of urban sprawl would dominate the natural context; with new developments consuming all available land as the population rapidly grows. The green belt acts as a protective barrier to this - reducing people's ability to build on the surrounding rural areas, thereby ensuring the continued protection of biodiversity and forest lands.
Green Belt Land
It is not impossible to build on Green Belt Land, if you follow certain conditions.
Green Belt Land Planning Permission
If you are interested in land for sale in Green Belt, there are some things you should be aware of. In Green Belt you will often be looking at plots or potential plots, with a new house in mind. You can register a new property on the Land Registry Portal (access information or apply to change the register). You can also make searches for legal purposes if you are buying a property.
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