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THE ROLE AND FUNCTION OF GREEN BELTS
WHAT IS A GREEN BELT FOR?
8. A green belt is an area of land designated for the purposes of managing the growth of a town or city in the long term. It should be used to direct development to suitable locations, not to prevent development from happening in general. It is a key part of a long-term settlement strategy to achieve the three objectives listed in paragraph 6.
9. Green belt policy is not a designation to protect natural heritage or to safeguard land for major uses such as housing or airports: there are other policies to carry out these functions. These other policies, for example, local landscape designations or airport safeguarding zones can overlap green belt designations. Not all greenfield land will be covered by green belt policy. Only areas of land that help to deliver the objectives in paragraph 6 should be covered by green belt policy. Green belts can encircle settlements but can take a variety of other forms including buffers, corridors, coastal strips or wedges, to take account of local circumstances. In many instances, green belt policy can be used effectively to prevent the coalescence of settlements. There may, however, be circumstances where coalescence should be considered, where this would allow for the development of the most sustainable settlement pattern.
10. Designated green belts should be managed effectively to enhance the quality of life for local people. Effective management can include:
- Providing a range of opportunities for outdoor recreation, outdoor education and tourism;
- Providing access to the countryside;
- Protecting and enhancing biodiversity and the landscape resource; and
- Conserving the historic environment.
11. NPPG14: Natural Heritage and SPP17: Planning for Transport recognise and promote green networks for their role in enhancing both biodiversity and access for people, for example, through walking and cycling. Where green networks extend into green belt areas, policies supporting the development of green networks can be a focus for positive management measures to achieve the benefits set out above. Management issues are discussed further in paragraphs 31-33.
WHERE SHOULD GREEN BELTS BE DESIGNATED?
12. Green belts have a particular benefit in the planning of towns and cities where there is demand for development and where co-ordination is required across local authority boundaries. For towns and cities with a distinct character and identity that could be harmed by unplanned growth, the use of green belt policy may help to manage that growth more effectively. Other policies, however, may also achieve these aims, for example, the effective use of countryside policies. Most settlements do not need green belts. Other policies can achieve the aims of green belt just as successfully, for example, a policy designed to protect the setting of an historic town or to rigorously manage development in a landscape of high environmental quality.
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