GREEN BELT

Introduction and Background

2.1       The concept of a Green Belt in South Bedfordshire goes back to the Abercrombie Plan for Greater London of 1944. In 1960 Bedfordshire County Council submitted a sketch plan of the proposed Green Belt and a statement to the then Minister of Housing and Local Government. The Green Belt as then proposed washed over the whole of South Bedfordshire outside the town map areas of Luton, Dunstable and Leighton-Linslade. The Green Belt was not approved by the Minister but from 1960 onwards Green Belt policies were applied throughout South Bedfordshire and received widespread Government support in cases of appeals against refusal of planning permission.

 

2.2       In September 1976, Bedfordshire County Council published a consultation draft of the first County Structure Plan, Policy 12 of which provided for a Green Belt in southern Bedfordshire. The general extent of the Green Belt was shown on the County key diagram.

 

2.3       The Green Belt became statutory with the approval of modifications by the Secretary of State of the County Structure Plan in 1980, Policy 8 of which stated:

 

'It is the policy of the County Council to maintain a Green Belt in the south of the County having a width of up to 12 miles measured from the south-western boundary of the County (but excluding that part of the County lying to the east of Hexton in Hertfordshire) for the purpose of containing the outward growth of Luton, Dunstable and Houghton Regis; Leighton-Linslade; and Ampthill and Flitwick and to prevent the coalescence of settlements within that area. The precise boundaries of the Green Belt will be defined in Local Plans. When the boundaries enclose settlements they will be defined by reference to the degree of expansion of the built-up areas acceptable in the context of the stated purpose of the Green Belt and the Structure Plan policies for housing and employment.

 

Within the Green Belt, permission will not be given, except in very special circumstances, for development for purposes other than agriculture, mineral working; institutions standing in extensive grounds, small-scale facilities for participatory sport and recreation or other uses appropriate to a rural area.'

 

2.4       The justification for approving the South Bedfordshire Green Belt was set out in paragraph 4.4 of the Notice of Approval of the County Structure Plan. The first part of this paragraph states:

 

'4.4. The justification for the proposed Green Belt in the south of the County is based on extreme pressures for the expansion of settlements in that area. These pressures are likely to increase with the population growth provided for in the Plan and further exacerbated by pressures from outside the County, some of which will be consequent on improved railway services. The Secretary of State accepts that these pressures do exist and will increase, that without severe restraints the pressures could lead to rapid outward growth of the main urban areas in this part of the County and to the expansion and coalescence of the small settlements and that the circumstances call for the severity of restraint that a local Green Belt would impose.'

 

2.5       A minor change to the wording of the policy was made in the 1987 version of the Plan by the addition of the words 'long-term' before 'expansion' in the first paragraph of the policy. A new section was added to the policy relating to the exclusion of five villages from the Green Belt on account of their size, form and character. These were Barton, Toddington, Eaton Bray, Caddington and Slip End. (Heath and Reach was excluded from the Green Belt with the adoption by South Bedfordshire District Council of the Leighton-Linslade and Heath and Reach Local Plan, also in 1987).

 

2.6       The Alterations Number 3 to the Structure Plan (approved by the Secretary of State in 1992) made no change to the wording of the Green Belt policy.

 

2.7       The Bedfordshire Structure Plan 2011 was adopted by the County Council in March 1997. This Plan split the Green Belt policy guidance into two parts. The first part - Policy 23 - defines the extent of the Green Belt, its purposes and the way its boundaries have been defined. It states:

 

'It is the policy of the County Council to maintain the Green Belt in the South of the County, having a width of about 12 miles measured from the south-west boundary of the County (but excluding that part of the County lying to the east of Hexton in Hertfordshire), to contain the outward growth of Luton, Dunstable, Houghton Regis, Leighton-Linslade, Ampthill and Flitwick and to prevent the coalescence of these and other settlements within that area.

 

The precise boundaries are, or will be defined in local plans, taking into account whether it will be appropriate to provide safeguarded land to meet development needs of the enclosed settlements beyond the plan period.'

 

2.8       Policy 24 deals with development within the Green Belt and states:

 

'Within the Green Belt there is a general presumption against inappropriate development. Except in very special circumstances, planning permission will not be granted except for:

 

(i)        Agriculture, forestry or mineral extraction and restoration;

 

(ii)       Essential facilities for outdoor sport and outdoor recreation, for cemeteries and for other uses of land which fulfil the objectives of the Green Belt;

 

(iii)      Limited expansion, alteration or replacement of existing dwellings;

 

(iv)       Limited infilling and limited affordable housing for local community needs within existing villages;

 

(v)        Limited infilling or redevelopment of major, existing development sites, including further and higher education establishments identified in local plans;

 

(vi)       The re-use of existing buildings of permanent and substantial construction provided that the buildings are capable of conversion without major or complete reconstruction and have a form, bulk and general design in keeping with their surroundings. Development which may be permitted under this policy should preserve the openness of the Green Belt and not conflict with the purposes of including land in it.'

 

2.9       Green Belt boundaries were first defined around the towns and villages in South Bedfordshire as follows:

 

● Houghton Regis - Houghton Regis District Plan, 1983.

 

● Leighton Buzzard, Linslade and Heath and Reach - Leighton-Linslade and Heath and Reach Local Plan, 1987.

 

● Barton, Caddington, Eaton Bray, Toddington and Slip End - Rural Area Local Plan, 1990.

 

● Dunstable - South Bedfordshire Local Plan, 1995.

 

2.10     A Green Belt boundary is proposed to be defined around Hockliffe for the first time in this Local Plan Review. The proposed boundary, which is shown on the Proposals Map, has been defined in accordance with Policy 23 of the Bedfordshire Structure Plan 2011 and advice in Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, Planning Policy Guidance Note 2 (PPG2), Green Belts, March 1999.

 

Government Advice on Green Belts

2.11     PPG2 lists five purposes for Green Belts as follows:

 

(i)         To check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas;

 

(ii)        To prevent neighbouring towns from merging into one another;

 

(iii)       To assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment;

 

(iv)       To preserve the setting and special character of historic towns;

 

(v)       To assist in urban regeneration by encouraging recycling of derelict and other urban land.

 

2.12     The Guidance Note also states that Green Belts have a positive role in fulfilling the following objectives:

 

● To provide opportunities for access to the open countryside for the urban population;

 

● To provide opportunities for outdoor sport and outdoor recreation near urban areas;

 

● To retain attractive landscapes, and enhance landscapes, near to where people live;

 

● To improve damaged and derelict land around towns;

 

● To secure nature conservation interest;

 

● To retain land in agricultural, forestry and related uses.

 

2.13     The Guidance Note also advises that:

 

'The essential characteristic of Green Belts is their permanence. Their protection must be maintained as far ahead as can be seen ahead' and that 'detailed Green Belt boundaries defined in adopted Local Plans or earlier approved Development Plans should be altered only exceptionally.'

 

2.14     PPG2 also gives detailed advice about how Development Plans should treat existing Green Belt villages, dependent upon the scale of development which the District Planning Authority considers should be allowed to take place. This could be where no new building beyond that needed for specified 'appropriate' purposes is to be permitted; where infilling only will be permitted; or where limited development on a scale larger than infilling or limited expansion is proposed.

 

2.15     In the light of this advice, the District Planning Authority has examined those villages in South Bedfordshire which are currently washed over by the Green Belt to determine how they should be treated in the Local Plan. The proposals for those villages are set out in detail at paragraphs 2.35 and 2.36 of this Local Plan.

 

The General Extent and Boundaries of the Green Belt

2.16     The general extent of the South Bedfordshire Green Belt is specified in the Bedfordshire Structure Plan 2011 - Policy 23.

 

2.17     The detailed boundaries of the Green Belt were defined in the South Bedfordshire Local Plan, adopted in 1995. Apart from the definition of boundaries around villages proposed for exclusion from the Green Belt as part of the 'Future of Green Belt Villages' exercise, no change to the general extent or boundaries of the Green Belt is proposed in this review.

 

2.18     This is consistent with the Bedfordshire Structure Plan which concludes at paragraph 15.4 that:

 

'The existing and proposed Green Belt boundaries identified in Local Plans are consistent with the County Development Strategy and there is sufficient outstanding provision for employment and housing land, together with safeguarded (formerly known as White Land) land within and around settlements to accommodate the planned level of growth to the end of the Structure Plan period (2011).'

 

2.19     It is also consistent with Government advice on Green Belts set down at paragraph 2.7 of PPG2 which states:

 

'Where existing Local Plans are being revised and updated, existing Green Belt boundaries should not be changed unless alterations to the Structure Plan have been approved, or other exceptional circumstances exist, which necessitate such revision.'

 

2.20     The District Council is satisfied that no exceptional circumstances exist which lead to a requirement for significant changes to existing Green Belt boundaries.

 

The Role of and Purposes Served by the South Bedfordshire Green Belt

2.21     As set out in Policy 23 of the Bedfordshire Structure Plan 2011, the purposes of the South Bedfordshire Green Belt are to contain the outward growth of Luton and Dunstable, Houghton Regis and Leighton-Linslade in South Bedfordshire, and to prevent the coalescence of these and other settlements in the area. In South Bedfordshire the other settlements comprise the excluded villages and the smaller settlements washed over by the Green Belt.

 

2.22     These stated purposes broadly coincide with two of the purposes for including land in Green Belts set down at paragraph 1.5 of PPG2:

 

● To check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas.

 

● To prevent neighbouring towns from merging into one another.

 

2.23     The District Council fully accepts and supports these purposes for the South Bedfordshire Green Belt. It considers, however, that the land included in the South Bedfordshire Green Belt also serves other important purposes set down in PPG2, namely, to safeguard the countryside from encroachment and assist in urban regeneration.

 

2.24     The first of these two purposes is particularly important in Southern Bedfordshire where much of the countryside on the edge of the main towns is designated for its landscape or wildlife importance and protected accordingly. The Green Belt affords protection to undesignated countryside which not only serves Green Belt purposes but has a positive role to play in providing opportunities for access to and recreation in the open countryside close to where people live and in retaining land in agricultural and related uses.

 

2.25     A further purpose served by the South Bedfordshire Green Belt is to assist in urban regeneration. This is achieved by guiding development pressure away from greenfield sites outside towns to brownfield sites within them. Much urban regeneration has been carried out in the towns of South Bedfordshire and more is proposed. This cannot be achieved without the constraints on peripheral greenfield development which the South Bedfordshire Green Belt imposes.

 

2.26     Finally, the South Bedfordshire Green Belt serves the purpose of preserving the setting and special character of the historic town of Leighton Buzzard. The town has its origins as a crossing point on the River Ouzel and although 19th and 20th century development has masked this relationship to some extent, the application of Green Belt policies has ensured that the riverside landscapes of the Ouzel Valley still extend into the heart of the urban area and that the setting of All Saints Church and the adjoining historic town centre and views to it from the meadowland to the south of the town, have been retained.

 

The Role of the Green Belt in the Achievement of Sustainable Patterns of Development

2.27     The Green Belt is closely related to the District Planning Authority's Sustainable Development Strategy set out on pages 8 - 11, the Delivery Strategy set out at paragraphs 1.50-1.53 and in Policy SD1 of this Plan. The application of Green Belt policy is the principal mechanism for achieving development in accordance with the locational sequence set down in that strategy

 

2.28     The order of preference set down in the Strategy was devised in the context of the sustainability principles for the Plan (paragraph 1.31) - and was particularly influenced by those relating to:

 

● Providing sufficient land to meet the development needs of the District and those who live there.

 

● Selecting sites for such development which avoid the loss of irreplaceable environmental resources and minimise damage to scarce or valuable environmental assets and which are of most benefit to local needs.

 

● Locating new development in places where use of private motor vehicles is not essential and alternative means of transport are available and can be easily provided.

 

● Integrating land uses and transport facilities to minimise traffic generation, particularly by private motor vehicles and developing a safe, efficient and accessible transport system.

 

● Preventing the loss of valuable open land to development, whether it is important for farming, landscape quality, ground water protection, recreation, open countryside or as a wildlife habitat.

 

2.29     The Development Strategy recognises that given the pattern of existing development and transport networks in South Bedfordshire, the urban location of the main employment areas, and the concentration of shopping services, leisure, entertainment and cultural facilities in town centres; sustainable development can best be achieved in locations which are well related to these patterns, networks and facilities.

 

2.30     This calls for attention to be paid to development opportunities within existing urban areas, particularly on previously developed sites. The Green Belt has a vital and fundamental role to play in this respect, in guiding necessary development and inward investment to such sites within urban areas and away from greenfield sites outside towns and in locations away from, or poorly related to, existing transport networks, facilities and employment.

 

2.31     The Green Belt also has a role to play in directing developments to land already safeguarded in the Plan for the long-term development needs of the District - much of which has been damaged by mineral extraction.

 

2.32     The effectiveness of the South Bedfordshire Green Belt in guiding inward investment and development is well-established. It is not confined to residential, industrial and commercial uses but includes shopping, leisure, entertainment and other facilities. These have an important role to play in improving the quality and richness of life for residents of the District's urban areas. Urban locations for such uses ensure that they are accessible to all and can be reached by those who do not have the use of a private car.

 

2.33     The Green Belt, therefore, has an important role to play in improving the quality of life in the District's towns and villages, and promoting more sustainable patterns of development.

 

Green Belt Policies

 

 

2.34     Additional guidance and advice is given elsewhere in this Plan on the special requirements which development proposals should meet in order to be considered as acceptable development in the Green Belt. These are:

 

● Horse Related Development (Policy NE11).

 

● Re-use and Adaptation of Rural Buildings (Policy NE12).

 

● Agricultural or Farm Dwellings (Policies H10 and H11).

 

● Infilling in existing Green Belt Settlements (Policy H12).

 

● Extensions to Dwellings in the Green Belt (Policy H13).

 

● Replacement Dwellings in the Green Belt (Policy H14).

 

● Sport and Formal Recreation in the Countryside (Policy R16).

 

The Future of Green Belt Villages

2.35     Following the detailed examination of Green Belt villages referred to in paragraph 2.15 above, the District Council considers that such villages should be dealt with in one of three ways as set out at Policy GB3 below and that Policy GB1 should be applied to them accordingly.

 

2.36     Limited, non-residential, redevelopment in Category 2 green belt villages constitutes redevelopment that is not materially larger than the built form which it replaces, in terms of both height and footprint, can be accommodated within the existing infrastructure and which integrates with its surrounding landscape and village setting. Limited extensions will be modest and not disproportionate to the scale of the original building(s) and will be capable of being accommodated within the existing infrastructure. The District Council acknowledges that the provisions of this policy are particularly likely to be implemented in the context of tourism related development and the implementation of its provisions will be weighed in the light of the economic benefits and rural diversification that such development can bring to the District.

 

 

Safeguarded Land for Long-Term Requirements ('White' Land)

2.37     PPG2 advises that local planning authorities should:

 

'..satisfy themselves that Green Belt boundaries will not need to be altered at the end of the plan period. In order to ensure protection of Green Belts within this longer timescale this will in some cases mean safeguarding land between the urban area and the Green Belt which may be required to meet longer-term development needs.'

 

2.38     When defining Green Belt boundaries in South Bedfordshire the District Council has examined the fringes of settlements in order to identify any areas of land which do not need to be kept permanently open to serve the purposes of Green Belt policy.

 

2.39     Where such land has been identified it is defined in the Plan as 'white' land. This land is intended to be used to meet long-term and currently unforeseen requirements for land for development in the District beyond the plan period.

 

2.40     In respect of the two 'white' land sites at Slip End listed in the table below, constituting 9.59 hectares in area, these were proposed to be allocated for housing development in the deposit draft of this Local Plan Review. These proposals were deleted because of ownership constraints on the availability of the land for residential development during the plan period. Regarding the land at 'The Paddocks', Dunstable, (1.8 hectares) access constraints currently severely constrain the development potential of the Site to the extent that it will not be available for development during the current plan period.

 

2.41     Provided access arrangements to the site at 'The Paddocks', Dunstable can be improved sufficiently to allow development to take place, the District Planning Authority is satisfied that these sites would be suitable for residential development should they be made available for that purpose in the future. The District Planning Authority will, therefore, wish to consider whether these sites can be brought forward for residential development at the next review of the South Bedfordshire Local Plan in the light of any revised housing allocations for South Bedfordshire in future strategic plans for the District and the intentions of the owners of the land.

 

 

 

TABLE 1 : WHITE LAND IN SOUTH BEDFORDSHIRE

LOCATION	SITE AREA (Hectares)
LAND AT SLIP END; Car storage site and adjacent land	9.59
LAND AT 'THE PADDOCKS', DUNSTABLE; West of the highway safeguarded area	1.80
TOTAL	11.39