Three Rivers Local Plan, more Green Belt land to be lost forever?

The most recent public consultation on the new, draft Three Rivers Local Plan has just closed. We are dismayed that the Council is still using outdated and inflated housing targets and proposing to remove more land from the Green Belt in order to build on it. This is unnecessary.

We have submitted our consultation response, and we are calling on Three Rivers District Council to produce its Local Plan in line with revised planning policy.

Imminent changes to the National Planning Policy Framework mean that the Council does not need to review the Green Belt in order to meet housing need.

The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities wrote to all MPs on 5th December 2022, stating that “The effect of these changes will be to make absolutely clear that Local Housing Need should always be a starting point – but no more than that – and importantly, that areas will not be expected to meet this need where they are subject to genuine constraints.”

The next day on 6th December 2022 he published a further statement which noted “It will be up to local authorities, working with their communities, to determine how many homes can actually be built, taking into account what should be protected in each area – be that our precious Green Belt or national parks” (Hansard: Planning System and Levelling Up Bill: Community Control. 6.12.22).

Further, the NPPF Prospectus published on 22nd December 2022 includes amendments which remove any requirement for local planning authorities to review Green Belt boundaries in order to accommodate housing need calculated on the basis of either the standard method or an alternative method.

It could not be any clearer. The Government intends for local authorities like Three Rivers to calculate its housing need and produce its Local Plan taking full account of constraints including the Green Belt.

We have submitted our response to the consultation, and we look forward to seeing an amended Local Plan later this year.

Read more about the new Three Rivers District Local Plan on the Council’s website. See also our previous analysis and response to the draft Local Plan.

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