Grey Belt: Just adding colour to the debate or meaningful change

So what is Labour proposing? Here are the headlines:  

Green Belt and housing need – No longer can Planning Authorities hide behind their Green Belt when it comes to delivering housing need through their Local Plans.  Once non-Green Belt sites are optimised, Planning Authorities have to look into their Green Belt to deliver their housing needs ‘in full’, unless doing so would fundamentally undermine the function of the Green Belt ‘across the area of the Plan as a whole’.  A high bar indeed!  This will be impactful to achieve housing delivery in lagging Green Belt authorities where the Green Belt has been used as an excuse to avoid delivering much needed housing.   

Green Belt brownfield land -The restrictive limit for development on previously developed Green Belt land to have no greater impact on the openness of the Green Belt has gone and replaced with a policy bar to not cause ‘substantial harm’ to the openness of the Green Belt.  A helpful shift so that development sites can deliver more good development. 

Green Belt fundamentals – When Green Belt land is released or permitted for development it should deliver against new para 155; 50% affordable housing, necessary infrastructure and green spaces accessible to the public. 

Grey belt – The promised concept of grey belt has been set out.  It is set to open up some Green Belt sites that lay idle under the current blanket Green Belt protection, but subject to ‘para 155’ compliance.  We have a definition of grey belt: 

For the purposes of plan-making and decision-making, ‘grey belt’ is defined as land in the green belt comprising Previously Developed Land and any other parcels and/or areas of Green Belt land that make a limited contribution to the five Green Belt purposes (as defined in para 140 of this Framework), but excluding those areas or assets of particular importance listed in footnote 7 of this Framework (other than land designated as Green Belt). (My emphasis.  This will be argued over for what really is a ‘limited contribution’, so it be great for the NPPG to help define this further set against the manner in which Green Belt assessments are already undertaken)  

‘Appropriate Development’ – A major move for development on grey belt land in sustainable locations to be 'appropriate' Green Belt development, which would mean no titled-balance acting against the development and no need for those Very Special Circumstances. Subject to there being a five year supply deficit or housing delivery test failure if a housing scheme and if there is a ‘demonstrable need for land of regional, national or local importance’ for any form of development, plus meeting the new para 155. (Another policy test that will be argued about).