A quick recap: What is the Grey Belt?
The term ‘Grey Belt’ refers to previously developed land in the Green Belt, and land that does not significantly contribute to the core purposes of the Green Belt, like preventing urban sprawl or protecting historic towns. The draft NPPF defined Grey Belt land as areas that make a limited contribution to the five Green Belt purposes, provided they meet specific criteria.
Understanding, and of course capitalising, on Grey Belt opportunities is crucial for developers, and our new layer makes it easier than ever to identify these opportunities with unparalleled precision and insight.
It is likely, at least initially, that many of these sites will be speculative development applications, i.e. not allocated for development. When it comes to building your planning argument for development, having some justification for why the sites we’ve identified should be taken forward will be vital, and we’ve got you covered for this.
Introducing: The Grey Belt and Declassified Green Belt layer
We’re proud of our powerful Sourcing Tool because it empowers our users to quickly generate a list of results that match their specific search criteria, but we also recognise a ‘square peg round hole’ situation when we see it. When it comes to finding Grey Belt opportunities, developers need a purpose built feature, something that does exactly what it was designed to do, something like the Grey Belt and Declassified Green Belt layer on LandInsight.
This layer is designed to give you a comprehensive and detailed view of the location of potential Grey Belt land, and also why it should be considered to be a suitable development site. With it, you can quickly identify and evaluate sites that may be suitable for development according to the draft NPPF policy.
Before we show you just how easy it is to use this layer to find Grey Belt sites, let’s dig a little deeper into why LandInsight’s Grey Belt and Declassified Green Belt layer is the most effective feature on the market for finding Grey Belt opportunities.
How we built the Grey Belt and Declassified Green Belt layer
When building this new layer, we had a couple of non-negotiable points: it had to be accurate and it had to be as useful as possible.That’s why we consulted with major planning authorities and industry experts, including specialists from leading Green Belt consultancies and the Greater London Assembly. This collaborative approach helped refine our methodology and ensure our analysis aligns with official policy and provides a comprehensive view of development potential.
You can read a full in-depth explanation of our methodology here but in summary, we:
- Identified Green Belt areas that are not affected by ‘Footnote 7’ constraints listed in the NPPF;
- Limited our search to those areas located adjacent to existing built up areas;
- Refined these areas by excluding sites that are likely to meet the five core Green Belt purposes;
- Removed inappropriate sites, like roads, parks and educational institutions
This gave us a large number of sites that could, in theory, be considered Grey Belt, but as we all know: not all sites are created equal.
So, we went one step further. We created a bespoke ranking system to grade land on a scale of Least to Most Favourable, in terms of the land being treated as Grey Belt from a planning perspective.
Our ranking system considers factors like land use, local affordability, agricultural land quality and access to transportation and amenities, and gives you the ability to prioritise areas with the highest Grey Belt potential.
Sounds pretty good, right? We think so too.
In fact, here are five points that prove we’ve built the best tool to quickly and accurately identify Grey Belt opportunities:
Comprehensive data-driven analysis:
For each land parcel we’ve taken into account connectivity, sustainability and land use, providing a clear picture of each site’s potential for development that traditional sourcing tools can’t match. This will be vital to help inform your planning case for the development of each site.
Bespoke ranking system:
With categories ranging from Least Favourable to Most Favourable, we’ve streamlined the decision-making process. Saving you time and ensuring you are always focusing on the most promising sites, without the need to manually sift through extensive information.
Excludes ineligible land:
We’ve automatically excluded ineligible land based on NPPF guidelines, like areas near historic towns or other protected sites, so you can concentrate your efforts on land that truly has potential.
Expert insight aligning with official policy:
LandInsight’s Grey Belt and Declassified Green Belt layer isn’t just built on data, it’s built on expert knowledge. At LandTech our team includes Chartered Town Planners and Data experts with industry experience. We’re not just into data and technology, we're about using this within the planning and development industry. Tools developed by experts, and used by experts.
Useful right now, and in the future:
As planning policies and guidelines evolve, so does LandInsight. The Grey Belt and Declassified Green Belt layer is designed to be adaptable, and any changes to guidelines will be reflected in the layer, meaning you don’t need to constantly go back and amend your sourcing or search criteria.
Using the Grey Belt and Declassified Green Belt layer
Like all of our other features, the Grey Belt and Declassified Green Belt layer is super easy to use. Simply toggle on the layer, use the filters to select your site favorability preference and your map view will instantly populate with highlighted areas. From here, you can click on any highlighted area to see detailed information about its connectivity, land use, and alignment with Grey Belt criteria.
You can also use this information in conjunction with other layers in LandInsight, for example our Land Availability Assessment data, and our powerful information on where the Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development is likely to apply, to build a complete picture of where your development is most likely to be supported.
It’s true that there’s always more than one way to get the job done, but if you want to get the job done right, and fast? Well, you’ll need LandInsight.
If you’re ready to get started, click below to request a demo from one of our experts.
