HC Deb 08 December 1994 vol 251 cc315-6W
Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what releases of green belt land over 100 hectares in size have been agreed to in structure or unitary plans since 1986.

Sir Paul Beresford

No releases of green belt land over 100 hectares in size have been agreed to in the north-east in structure or unitary plans since 1986. Information is not available nationally, except at disproportionate cost.

Research that the Government published last year showed that boundary alterations in development plans and affected less than 0.3 per cent. of green belts over the last eight years in the areas studied.

Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the occasions since 1987 when he or his predecessors have called in a development plan or issued a holding direction to prevent the release of areas of green belt land over 100 hectares in size.

Sir Paul Beresford

Three article 14 directions have been made on green belt sites in excess of 100 hectares in the north-east since 1987. Information on holding directions is not available nationally, except at disproportionate cost. No development plans have ever been called in on green belt grounds.

Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what provision is made in guidance or draft guidance on green belts for the release of green belt land to halt out migration from local authority areas.

Sir Paul Beresford

Planning policy guidance note 2 on green belts statesOnce the general extent of a green belt has been approved it should be altered only in exceptional circumstances. If such an alteration is proposed the Secretary of State will wish to be satisfied that the authority has considered opportunities for development within the urban areas contained by and beyond the green belt. Similarly, detailed green belt boundaries defined in adopted local plans or earlier approved development plans should be altered only exceptionally.

A draft revision of PPG2, which was issued for consultation earlier this year, maintained the point that "exceptional circumstances" were required to justify boundary changes. A final version has not yet been published.