Council commits to safeguarding the Green Belt and searching for brownfield sites for homes

A district wide search for previously developed land on which to build new homes has been given the go-ahead as part of on-going efforts to safeguard the Green Belt in Three Rivers.

Councillors at a full meeting  of Three Rivers District Council backed a motion on Tuesday (11 July) calling for a further search for brownfield land, with publicity to landowners and the public. So far, such brownfield sites in the emerging Local Plan would give the district 1,000 new homes. This is only a small proportion of the government target of 11,466.

The search forms part of the council’s ongoing development of its new Local Plan, the document which will guide development in the district until 2041. Councillors unanimously backed the motion which also called for an “evidence-based approach to safeguard undeveloped Green Belt land”.

Cllr Stephen Giles Medhurst, Deputy Leader of the Council and its Lead Member for the Local Plan, said: “This could not be more vital. By backing this motion, the council has underlined its efforts to prioritise brownfield sites as we determine planning guidelines for the future. As a council we are absolutely committed to protecting as much of the Green Belt as possible, and this motion is evidence of that. We again invite landowners to come forward with any ideas and suggestions for suitable sites which have previously been developed to contact us today.”

The agreed motion from Cllr Giles-Medhurst also stated that the council “believes that our towns and villages are important to communities and that the green space within and around them is precious.”

The council’s calculations shows that to meet the government target, Three Rivers would need allocate sites for 11,466 dwellings over 18 years. However, the council has already stated it will bring forward a plan that has a significantly lower number, perhaps by 50%, due to local Green Belt constraints.

Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst added: “We intend to consult residents on a lower housing figure in a new plan before we submit it to the government for approval. We have already ruled out suggesting over 250 Green Belt sites and are really only looking at low to medium harm sites in order to allow for some new housing for future generations.”

No decisions have been made on which sites might be suggested for housing at this stage, but they are expected to feature in a consultation in October/November.

The latest move by the council comes after a previous open invitation to residents and landowners in June:

https://www.threerivers.gov.uk/news/council-is-on-the-hunt-for-more-unused-urban-sites-to-support-housing-needs

Potential sites should be submitted to the council on a suitable map showing the boundary of the site in red, along with a completed Call for Sites Submission Form, downloadable at https://www.threerivers.gov.uk/services/planning/planning-policy/new-local-plan.