The grey, the brown and the golden rules of housing

[edit] The good, the bad and the ugly in a wild west of housing

In October 2023, the year before the general election, the Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer announced in a press statement. that it would develop new approaches to housing, redefining grey and brownfield land with new golden rules, saying, “We will end the Tories’ wild west of green belt building, with affordable housing rates as low as 10% with expensive executive homes local people can’t afford." As part of this statement, he reinforced the Labour Party commitment to achieving economic growth and building 1.5 million new homes in their term, if elected for office. On 19 April 2024, shortly before the election of 4 July 2024, the party announced its intention to create a new category of grey belt land, allowing development on "poor quality and ugly areas" of the green belt.

On 30 July 2024, after winning the general election, the new Labour Government proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). One of these changes was to look again at definitions and mechanisms relating to green, grey, and brownfield land.

On 22 September 2024, the government announced its proposals for new ‘brownfield passports’ to seize the growth opportunities of urban areas as part of a brownfield first approach to support and expedite development of urban sites, such as car parks. These changes are bound up in what is called the five golden rules of development.

[edit] Grey belt land

Historically, in urban planning terms, the "grey belt" has referred to areas within a city that are characterised by a high degree of impervious surfaces such as concrete, asphalt, and buildings, often associated with industrial, commercial, or densely-built residential zones. These areas may have little to no green space or vegetation, leading to environmental and social challenges.

The term grey belt is often used in contrast to "green belt," which refers to areas of protected open space or countryside around urban areas designed to limit urban sprawl and provide recreational areas, agricultural land, and wildlife habitats.

Grey belt land has generally been considered for development after brownfield options have been exhausted. Under the current Labour government, there has been a proposal to re-define grey belt land to include “Poor-quality and ugly areas of the Green Belt (that) should be clearly prioritised over nature-rich, environmentally valuable land in the green belt. At present, beyond the existing brownfield category the system doesn’t differentiate between them. This category will be distinct to brownfield with a wider definition."

[edit] Brownfield passports

Brownfield passports were introduced as a concept by the UK Labour government in a call for evidence to look at how to accelerate building in urban areas. Part of a brownfield first approach, followed by grey belt, to deliver homes in the areas people need, amounting to 1.5 million homes during the Parliamentary term. The term and associated proposals aim to support and expedite approval of urban sites, such as car parks.

As signalled in the National Planning Policy Framework consultation, the government is taking further steps toward the introduction of an effective ‘brownfield passport’ to ensure where proposals meet design and quality standards; the default answer is yes. A call for evidence will be launched on options to further increase certainty in relation to brownfield development. This will include proposals that provide far greater clarity as to the principle, scale, and form of brownfield development with a view to lowering the risk, cost, and uncertainty associated with securing planning permissions.

For further information, see the policy paper 'Planning Reform Working Paper: Brownfield Passport' dated September 2024.'

[edit] Golden rules for the release of land

The golden rules for the release of land are rules of thumb for development which were proposed by the labour government in 2024 in its proposed changes to the National Planning Poliy Framework (NPPF) for which a consultation was launched on Tuesday, 30 July 2024, and closed 24 September 2024. In the consultation the rules were explained as described below.

"Government Golden rules to ensure public benefit. The Government has committed to introducing ‘golden rules’ to ensure that major development on land released from the Green Belt benefits both communities and nature. This will build on wider commitment for exemplary design."

"The following golden rules are required where land is released through plans or individual planning decisions:

• in the case of schemes involving the provision of housing, at least 50% affordable housing, with an appropriate proportion being Social Rent, subject to viability;
• necessary improvements to local or national infrastructure, including delivery of new schools, GP surgeries, transportlinks, care homes and nursery places, to deliver well-designed, connected places, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify the infrastructure that their communities need; and
• the provision of new, or improvements to existing, local green spaces that are accessible to the public – where residential development is involved, new residents should be able to access good quality green spaces within a short walk of their homes, whether through on-site provision or through access to off-site facilities."

Whilst the 3 rules above are clearly set out in in the the Labour Government consultation on changes to the NPPF, they are concerned primarily with the 'what' of development, what is deemed acceptable for the release of land.

The two other rules ( a total of 5 golden rules) are concerned with the 'where' of development. In simple terms the first rule states that development should occur on brownfield land first and foremost, secondly it may occur on the grey belt, which has also effectively been redefined by the government in their NPPFconsultation, to include poor quality green belt areas.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Brownfield Passport.
• Consultation on proposed reforms to NPPF and other changes to the planning system.
• Detailed planning permission.
• Golden rules for the release of land.
• Grey belt.
• How long does it take to get planning permission.
• How long does planning permission last.
• IHBC response to revised NPPF.
• Killian Pretty Review.
• Local plan.
• Localism Act.
• National Planning Framework.
• National Planning Practice Guidance.
• Neighbourhood development order.
• Neighbourhood planning.
• NPPF consultation briefing notes on terms.
• NPPF inquiry.
• Outline planning permission.
• Planning legislation.
• Planning permission.
• Planning policy replaced by the NPPF.
• Planning reform: draft NPPF in brief with indicative responses.