Potters Bar Society
Founded 1961
Founded 1961
Value and use the London Green Belt to benefit everyone says a new report. A Positive Vision for London's Green Belt presents the advantages of having protected open space around London. This is an important report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for London's Green Belt.
The APPG is a cross-party group of MPs set up to promote and protect the London Green Belt. Our current MP, Oliver Dowden, was a member until he needed to give up due to becoming part of government. By focussing on the positive benefits the MPs hope the argument for protection will speak for itself.
The London Green Belt is the largest of the 14 green belts in England. The report points out that Green Belt is acknowledged internationally as an excellent demonstration of best practice in land use - preventing development sprawling across open countryside and keeping land available for agriculture, forestry, recreation and education.
To give some context, in 1940 the areas of London and Los Angeles were similar. Since then - without Green Belt protection - Los Angeles has sprawled so that it now covers an area which, if overlaid on the UK would stretch from Cambridge to Brighton.
The London Green Belt was first proposed in 1935 and established 20 years later. In 1955 Housing Minister Duncan Sandys issued a Circular urging all local planning authorities to designate Green Belts "for the well-being of our people and for the preservation of the countryside". Today those principles are still part of the National Planning Policy Framework which authorities work to.
Over the years misunderstanding of the policy has accidentally - or deliberately - been behind many building requests and applications. Present planning law retains the principle that "the fundamental aim of Green Belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open; the essential characteristics of Green Belts are their openness and permanence". As the Potters Bar Society often points out: green belt is not there to look beautiful - although it often is. It is there to provide a distinction between town and countryside and a 'lung' for city dwellers. It is the positive reasons for providing that lung - "the well-being of our people" as the 1955 Circular put it - that this report focuses on.
Combating climate change is one advantage. The report points out that land is a key sink for greenhouse gases and storing carbon. It needs to be managed effectively to produce more mature woodland and grassland, storing carbon but also reducing run-off and erosion at the same time as providing cooling for the towns and cities. Green Belt is 'Natural Capital' and plays a positive role in providing woodland cover such as in community forests. Not only are these good for carbon capture but such places provide access for recreation - cycling, walking and leisure.
The report describes the well-being aspects of having green belt, saying it can play a key role for positive mental health providing an antidote to depression and obesity with a role for social prescribing rather than drugs and tablets. It says that playing and learning outside is a fundamental part of childhood and that research shows that being in the open can contribute to increased stress-resilient immune systems. The report calls for access for all people, young and old, including those who are disadvantaged and it notes many practical ways it can be achieved.
Agriculture is the single most important land use within the Green Belt says the report, but farms and farmers are under considerable pressure from builders and development. Productive, profitable farming is one of the best ways to secure against inappropriate development. The report points out that although the UK is largely self-sufficient in fresh milk, bread and eggs, we have large trade deficits for fruit and vegetables. The population of London will increase by 13% over the next 20 years alongside an increase of 8% for south-east England. The report estimates an additional nine million meals per day will be needed to meet this demand. The report calls for better ways to help and fund farmers to participate in conserving and managing farmland and to deliver 'public good' such as environmental protection, climate change mitigation and health and welfare of livestock and plant health.
Among the major recommendations are that the boundaries of the London Green Belt should be reconfirmed in perpetuity similar to the confirmation of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), a government-backed full strategic review of land use within the London Green Belt with a long term (25 year ) Strategic Plan which takes a Natural Capital approach, a look at using regional park funding such as used for the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and support for sustainable and diversification for farming in the Green Belt.
Protecting and preserving the local Green Belt was one of the major founding principles for the Potters Bar Society back in 1961. This report is a valuable contribution for those campaigning for the Green Belt, coming as it does from MPs who can wield some influence. Reports on their own will not stop inappropriate or harmful developments: it is also incumbent on all of us who value the Green Belt to be constantly vigilant in putting the case for protection and positive use of this resource on our doorstep.
Margaret Ohren
November 2019