Green Belt FAQs

Q1 What is the Green Belt?
Q2 What percentage of the Borough is Green Belt?
Q3 Does the Borough's Green Belt include waterbodies?
Q4 Why have sites in the Green Belt been identified for allocation?
Q5 How do you determine which land in the Green Belt is not performing well?
Q6 Why were ARUP selected as consultants to carry out the Green Belt assessment? Did this appointment go through the procurement procedure?
Q7 Why do we have to develop land in the Green Belt?
Q8 What happens after 15 years at the end of the Local Plan period if all proposed Green Belt sites have been developed? Will more have to be released?
Q9 What type of land won't be considered for development?
Q10 Has regard been given to national planning policy which priorities previously developed land and sustainable sites in the Green Belt?
Q11 How do commercial sites which are previously developed and have no visual amenity contribute to a green belt function?
Q12 What about Kempton Park racecourse?
Q13 As worked gravel extraction sites are usually filled with water, how much grassland will be preserved for the future?

Q1 What is the Green Belt?

Green Belt was introduced in Development Plans drawn up in the 1950s. The primary intention of Green Belt was to halt the sprawl of London and to prevent the merging of other large urban areas. Green Belt land is intended to be kept permanently open and there is a presumption against 'inappropriate development' on this land. The NPPF defines the five purposes of the Green Belt as: a) to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas; b) to prevent neighbouring towns from merging into one another; c) to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment; d) to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns; and e) to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land.

Q2 What percentage of the Borough is Green Belt?

The Green Belt in Spelthorne covers 3,324 hectares which equates to 65% of the total area of the Borough. Green Belt also includes the reservoirs in Spelthorne which represent 26.2% of the total Green Belt area which is 870 hectares.

Q3 Does the Borough's Green Belt include waterbodies?

Spelthorne contains many waterbodies, including rivers, lakes and reservoirs. These areas are also designated as Green Belt, even though they can't be developed in the same way as land. This is because the purpose of Green Belt is to prevent the outward sprawl of cities, in our case London, and from smaller settlements merging with each other, such as Shepperton merging with Laleham if there were no undeveloped land to keep them separate as is there is now. Large waterbodies can also fulfil this separation purpose, which is why in Spelthorne they are also designated as Green Belt.

The table below explains how Spelthorne's Green Belt is comprised and how much would be lost as part of the Local Plan in the allocations for development:

*Note: this does not necessarily conform with NPPF definitions of Previously Developed Land. Based on OS Manmade Structures.

Q4 Why have sites in the Green Belt been identified for allocation?

The National Planning Policy Framework is clear there is a presumption against development in the Green Belt, but alongside that commitment, Chapter 13 which relates to Green Belt states when Green Belt boundaries should be reviewed through the Local Plan process and what the government considers to be the exceptional circumstances to justify amendments to boundaries. Similarly, to other local authorities, the reviews undertaken are part of this plan preparation, and are prepared in accordance with national guidance.

If we amend Green Belt boundaries to allow for some development of land that is not performing well against its purposes and if there are no other significant reasons why it shouldn't be developed, we will lose approximately 0.7% of our Green Belt, but this will deliver 740 homes to help meet our needs.

Green Belt land will also allow family housing to be developed, as opposed to being almost all flatted development which will need to be prioritised on brownfield land due to the land constraints.

Q5 How do you determine which land in the Green Belt is not performing well?

The Council appointed consultants to undertake a Green Belt Assessment Stage 1 in October 2017. This assessed the Borough's Green Belt against the five purposes as set out in the NPPF and listed above.

This determined which sites were strongly, moderately or weakly performing. In December 2018, a Stage 2 assessment was undertaken which looked in greater detail at sub-areas drawn from the Stage 1 work. This recommended sub-areas for further consideration either in isolation or in combination with other parcels. These sites were taken forward to be considered as part of the site selection process to determine if they would be suitable for development.

Q6 Why were ARUP selected as consultants to carry out the Green Belt assessment? Did this appointment go through the procurement procedure?

Spelthorne took the decision to undertake a comprehensive Green Belt review as part of the preparation for the emerging Local Plan. We undertook a thorough procurement process in making the decision to appoint ARUP following a competitive tender to achieve best price and quality. ARUP have a strong history of carrying out detailed Green Belt Assessments.

Q7 Why do we have to develop land in the Green Belt?

In order to try and meet the Council's housing needs as required by the Government, we are required to fully assess all potential development land. There are insufficient sites in the urban areas to meet all of our housing needs and therefore the Council must consider Green Belt land in order to assist with this. Our strategy is to only consider releasing a small quantity of Green Belt sites, in line with the following criteria: 

• Weakly performing Green Belt
• Higher proportion of Previously Developed Land
• Additional benefits to the community
• Feedback from the public from the Preferred Options consultation
• Smaller sites
• Contributes to distribution of sites across the Borough

Q8 What happens after 15 years at the end of the Local Plan period if all proposed Green Belt sites have been developed? Will more have to be released?

The Government requires that all Local Plans be reviewed after 5 years. In a review of the Plan, sufficient land will have to be identified for future planned growth. The Plan period will roll forward at the time of the review therefore the need for growth will run with the new Plan period.

Government policy and guidance is updated on an ongoing basis therefore we will be required to develop a new Local Plan in line with this in future. This may involve the consideration of a number of options in order to provide for this growth and further Green Belt releases cannot be discounted.

Q9 What type of land won't be considered for development?

Some land in the Green Belt is subject to absolute constraints which cannot be overcome such as land most at risk of flooding (flood zone 3b functional floodplain), common land or land designated for national and international nature conservation. These constraints would preclude development from taking place even if the land were not within the Green Belt, although the majority are.

Q10 Has regard been given to national planning policy which priorities previously developed land and sustainable sites in the Green Belt?

The Council has developed its amended strategy with regard to the NPPF and chapter 13 in particular in relation to Green Belt. Officers have focused on criteria such as previously developed land, sustainable sites, community benefits and distribution across the Borough in developing the Local Plan strategy.  

Whilst an indicative list of Green Belt sites has been compiled, these reflect the priorities of the strategy and are not fixed at this stage.

Q11 How do commercial sites which are previously developed and have no visual amenity contribute to a green belt function?

Green Belt policy is used to ensure that land within the Green Belt is kept permanently open and free of development so that the spread of urban development is contained.

If development has taken place on land (either lawfully or unlawfully) and the land is now less attractive, this does not justify the release of the land from the Green Belt as it is still serving its purpose. However we are taking into account the extent to which a site is previously developed as part of the Local Plan strategy.

Q12 What about Kempton Park racecourse?

The landowner has promoted two alternative schemes at Kempton Park, including a site-wide redevelopment for 3,000 homes or a previously developed land-focussed approach, comprising 550 units. The site is strongly performing Green Belt and is not considered fitting with the proposed Local Plan strategy of dispersing development across the borough and utilising small sites. Whilst the strategy has been amended, the list of proposed Green Belt sites is indicative at this stage and may be subject to change once more detailed analysis has taken place. 

Q13 As worked gravel extraction sites are usually filled with water, how much grassland will be preserved for the future?

Spelthorne has a number of gravel and mineral extraction sites. Many of these have been worked in the past or are currently being worked at present. As part of applications to work these sites, restoration plans must be approved to show how the long-term condition of the site will be established. Of those sites currently being worked, only one is proposed to be a 'wet' restoration in which much of the extraction site is filled with water. The others are proposed to be 'dry' restorations with public access and other recreational amenity and benefits. However, these can only be secured once the working of the sites has completed and Spelthorne are continually working with the County Council and the mineral companies to achieve these outcomes as quickly as possible.