§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will take steps to ensure that, provided a local authority has five years' land available for housing, green belt land in the area remains substantially undiminished;
(2) what conditions must be fulfilled before developers have access to green belt land for housing.
§ Mr. ChannonThe main purpose of green belts is to contain urban sprawl and prevent towns merging together, and there is a general presumption against development of green belt land. This presumption has been reiterated in the new planning guidelines which have just been issued. Individual proposals for development need to be judged in the light of the circumstances of each case and in particular the extent to which the piece of land in question is contributing to the main purpose of the green belt.