Green belt Traveller site planning rules set to be eased by government

Planning rules stopping Traveller sites from being built on green belt land are set to be eased by the new government in a major shake-up of the planning system in England.

The proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) announced by Angela Rayner include several significant adjustments aimed at addressing housing supply and urban planning. 

Some of the adjustments directly concern the development of Traveller sites, alongside more indirect changes, such as the relabelling of some green belt land that is already within or near other infrastructure or developments as ‘grey belt’.

Councils are meant to assess and plan for a five-year supply of land in their development plans to allow Travellers to build sites on, but many fail to do so.

According to research by Friends, Families and Travellers, over two-thirds of England's local planning authorities had failed to include Traveller sites in their development plans -  despite 29 years of government policy and guidance that required them to do so.

This means that many Travellers are forced with no option but to buy land ‘off-plan’, often on green belt and agricultural land, and then face a costly and lengthy legal battle to try to get them authorised by councils and planning inspectors.

The current policy on the sites states that Traveller site development on the green belt are not permitted and considered ‘inappropriate development’ unless strict “very special circumstances” apply.

This will no longer be the case under the new rules if the local council fails to demonstrate a five-year supply.

The consultation states:

“We intend our proposals to support the release of green belt land to address unmet needs for traveller sites.

“We are therefore seeking views on how the proposals under the National Planning Policy Framework would apply to traveller sites, particularly concerning the sequential test to guide release, the definition of grey belt and previously developed land, and proposals that are considered not to be inappropriate development.”

It goes on to ask respondents whether they have a view on whether the release of green belt land should apply to the sites, and how the broader issue should be approached.

The consultation documents can be found here: Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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(Lead photograph: The Meriden green belt Traveller site under development. Meriden Traveller site became a news staple in the national and local media for three years around 2010, after local residents and other non-local supporters ganged-up to successfully campaign to get the site evicted © Damian Le Bas)