Council grey belt assessments
Councils with Green Belt must identify grey belt as evidence for their Local Plans. Here is who has published, what they found, and where to read the reports.
The evidence behind every Green Belt release.
Under policy GB2(3), Local Plans must be informed by a Green Belt assessment that identifies grey belt using the Annex E method. These studies are also used in planning applications and appeals, although they are evidence rather than decisions.
Define assessment areas
Consider all Green Belt in the plan area, divided into areas small enough to show variation, such as smaller parcels close to settlements and stations.
Identify grey belt
Rate each area strong, moderate or weak/none against purposes A, B and D using the Annex E criteria. Anything not "strong" on all three is grey belt.
Test the release
Would releasing or developing the areas fundamentally undermine the five purposes of the remaining Green Belt across the plan area, taken together?
Published assessments.
A starting list of assessments and statements found so far. The live site will cover every authority with Green Belt, with parcel maps where councils publish GIS data.
| Authority | Published | Status | Prepared by | Findings | Source |
|---|
Most assessments published before 17 August 2026 used the December 2024 definition, so land held back by footnote 7 assets may now count as grey belt. Councils are expected to update them.
What landowners should look for.
- The parcel your land sits in, and its rating against purposes A, B and D.
- Parcel size. Large parcels can hide small, contained sites that would rate lower on their own, and inspectors have accepted that argument.
- Village or town? Whether the nearest settlement is treated as a village, a town or a large built-up area changes everything.
- Footnote 7 notes. "Potential" or "provisional" grey belt held back by heritage or other constraints may now be grey belt under the 2026 definition.
- Date and NPPF version. Check whether it predates the August 2026 Framework.
c.6,900 ha of potential grey belt
The GLA's London-wide Green Belt Assessment (LUC, May 2026), commissioned with 12 boroughs, found that around 20% of the capital's nearly 35,000 ha of Green Belt could meet grey belt criteria, varying widely by borough. It informs the draft London Plan's spatial strategy but does not itself propose any release.
Own land in the Green Belt?
Find out whether it could be grey belt, which route to permission might apply, and what the Golden Rules would ask of a scheme.