England's 14 Green Belts cover more than a tenth (12.4%) of land in the country, and provide a breath of fresh air for 30 million people. 

Our Green Belts help prevent urban sprawl, and protect our countryside from encroachment, but did you know they're home to 19% of all traffic free cycle routes and 34% of Community Forest land?

Explore these and other surprising facts in our Green Belt factsheets. 

 

This landmark report brings together, for the first time, information on the state of Green Belt land and compares this to other areas of England. We provide evidence that the 1.6 million hectares of Green Belt provide a rich and varied natural environment and many related benefits to society. The ecosystem services provided by Green Belt land are highly significant and have an economic value that is often underestimated or simply not understood. We conclude that these areas could take on an even greater significance in the face of climate change, England’s growing population and the need for a low carbon economy. They can also help in creating a healthier society through providing space for active outdoor lifestyles and nutritious locally grown food.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has analysed the Government’s brownfield registers pilot scheme. Employing a variety of conservative methodologies, CPRE now estimates that the available data translates to a minimum of 1.1 million homes on suitable brownfield sites across England. More ambitious methodologies put the figure much higher, towards 1.4 million. This suggests that the Government has previously severely underestimated brownfield capacity.

It is clear that there needs to be a significant increase in the provision of affordable housing – in both urban and rural areas. This briefing suggests what might be done to achieve this objective while ensuring that the countryside is protected from unnecessary development and the best use is made of existing urban land and buildings. It defines the extent and nature of affordable housing needs, challenges some of the myths surrounding the issue, and proposes measures that might be adopted nationally and locally to tackle it.

Our briefing summarises our findings from our report Environmental Sustainability and English Regional Strategies which compared the progress of England's nine regions in the sustainability stakes. Our research found that there are some good green policies in each of England's nine regions. But overall each region is being held back by having to comply with central Government requirements to adopt environmentally damaging policies and trends.

Most significant developments in the United Kingdom require planning permission from a local planning authority. This process usually involves the submission of a planning application. As a member of the public, you are entitled to examine and comment on planning applications as they are made. This is your chance to press for planning decisions that work for the good of the environment and your local community. This guide tells you how to find out more about a planning application and — if necessary — how you can take action.

Neighbourhood Plans provide a great opportunity for you to have more influence on how the places in which you live and work will change over time. Your local knowledge and sense of what needs to be protected and what needs to change can really make a difference. We’ve put together eight simple steps to take if you want to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan and involve the whole community to make sure it becomes formally adopted as part of the development plan for your community.

The first paper in CPRE's Housing Foresight series explores how the dominance of volume house builders is having potentially harmful impacts on the supply, location and design of new housing in England. It shows that greater support for small and medium sized house builders can help meet demand for housing and protect green spaces by delivering new homes - including through custom/self build - on smaller brownfield sites. The paper proposes four policy options: promoting small-scale brownfield sites; funding smaller builders; simplifying small applications; and the use of design codes.

 

The sixth paper in CPRE Housing Foresight series explores how effective coordination between transport and development can improve access to public transport, reduce pollution and encourage walking and cycling. The paper proposes ideas for identifying suitable sites, incentivising development and engaging local communities in the process.