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22 November 2007 / Tim Taylor
Issue: 7298 / Categories: Features , Property
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Loosening the green belt?

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Green belts may be back in the news but are they also back up for grabs? asks Tim Taylor

The status of green belts has been the subject of close scrutiny ever since their formal introduction into national planning policy in the Ministry of Housing and Local Government’s Circular 45 in 1954. And, despite vociferous claims to the contrary from a number of interest groups, it must be said that the present incumbent, Planning Policy Guidance Note 2 (PPG 2), could hardly be misread as a welcome sign for prospective developers. Indeed, many who have fallen flat on their faces at this hurdle will testify to this fact. In many ways, any developer wishing to enter the green belt with a spade in one hand and a drawing in the other still does so at his own risk.

MOUNTING PRESSURE

The announcement by the government in summer 2007 for the provision of three million new homes by 2020 has added to the pressure on the green belt and led to calls from concerned

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