British farmers are facing yet another blow under Labour as its “grey belt” policy is expected to put farms close to cities “at risk”, according to a charity.
Last week, the Prime Minister announced that new homes should be built on grey belt land, such as old car parks as well as other poorer quality green belt land to better protect the countryside.
However, countryside charity Campaign to Protect Rural England has identified that around 11 per cent of Britain’s farmland is within the green belt area as well as being under 5km away from cities which are not green belt.
Although this is merely a minor fraction of the UK’s land, these regions are responsible for the production of a disproportionate amount of the country’s food.
These farms near cities are responsible for the production of a disproportionate amount of the country’s food (Stock)
PA
The areas near cities produce 14 per cent of the nation’s potatoes, a fifth of its wheat, oats and barley and 13 per cent of Britain’s milk.
“The green belt discussion has focused on what it blocked rather than what it delivered,” said chief executive of CPRE, Roger Mortlock.
“The countryside around our towns and cities plays a vital role in putting food on our plates.
“Building on the so-called grey belt will not provide the genuinely affordable and social rented homes that people in this country need,” he added.
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The new national planning policy framework (NPPF) has defined the Labour-coined phrase “grey belt” as “green belt comprising previously developed land” which fail to contribute to key goals, such as stopping towns merging into one another.
Meanwhile, areas which are excluded are regions of environmental designations, including “sites of special scientific interest”.
The CPRE has warned that, theoretically, there was no imposed limit on how much land Labour could build on as they had not outlined specific protections for agricultural land in their “grey belt” definitions.
“It will cause confusion and will lead to at best a nibbling of the green belt by development, and, at worst, an undermining of the openness of the green belt definition,” Mortlock said, sharing his concerns that Labour’s definition was too ambiguous.
The NPPF has said that it would plan to build on “brownfield” land first
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The NPPF has said that it would plan to build on “brownfield” land first, which was praised by the charity’s chief executive as “incredibly positive”.
Thanks to reforms announced by the Government last week, local authorities will have the power to make compulsory purchase orders of such land without having to pay excessive compensation to development organisations.
A Government spokesperson said: “The government is maintaining the existing strong protection for the best and most versatile agricultural land — the land which is most important for food production.
“And the national planning policy framework is clear: where significant development is necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be opted for over those of a higher quality.
“Our vision is for a better planning system that will unlock the housing and infrastructure this country urgently needs while improving outcomes for nature.”