LUC hosted a workshop at the RTPI Young Planners Conference last week, focusing on one of the most important and controversial issues in planning today: Green Belt.

Following a reminder of the origins and purposes of Green Belts, we debated the pros and cons of the designation and the views of different interest groups. Using the Oxford Green Belt as an example, we then discussed approaches to assessing Green Belts, the way in which the policy could be refined to integrate better with sustainability objectives, and how ‘positive use’ of Green Belts might be achieved.

Our Head of Planning, Philip Smith, and Senior Planner, Josh Allen, drew on experience of Green Belt studies across the country, including the authorities around Oxford.

These studies, together with our development management experience in Green Belts, make us well placed to help meet the challenge of balancing housing growth with countryside protection and place-making.