Village or Town vs. Grey Belt Development - Who Wins?
Two recent articles in Planning magazine (on 9th July and 13th August) have examined the potential implications of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council’s proposed strategy to reclassify four villages as towns. This approach, in the form of a “Rural Settlement Hierarchy Assessment,” is a direct response to a perceived loophole in recent national planning policy, aiming to prevent ‘grey belt’ development. While this is a logical strategy that other councils are likely to adopt, it faces significant challenges and could lead to unintended consequences.
Could This Strategy Be Effective?
The effectiveness of this approach is a subject of considerable debate.
The Argument for Effectiveness 🟢
- Filling a Policy Gap: There is no national definition of a village versus a town, a gap that is made critical by the new Planning Practice Guidance (PPG), which provides more protection for green belt land around towns. This strategy directly addresses that "gulf in protection" at a local level.
- A "Compelling Case" in Context: As seen in the Solihull case, for larger, well-serviced villages, there is a strong, evidence-based case for reclassification. Key factors like population size (e.g., above 5,000) and the presence of amenities such as secondary schools and large supermarkets, can justify a change in status.
- Political Motivation: Green belt is an emotive topic, and low-density, car-oriented development can be unsustainable. This strategy serves as a political measure, demonstrating proactive protection in the absence of a more strategic approach to green belt release. It’s likely that other councils, especially those with extensive green belt, will follow Solihull's lead.
The Argument Against Effectiveness 🔴
- Lack of Weight: A council's "Rural Settlement Hierarchy Assessment" is not a formal policy document and has only been through limited consultation and public examination. It is unlikely to carry significant weight as a material consideration in the determination of planning applications or appeals until formally adopted as part of a Local Plan.
- Legal Challenges: Developers and landowners will likely challenge any reclassification during a Local Plan Examination in Public. This would lead to a "hotly debated" process, lengthening the time required for a plan's adoption. A Planning Inspector's role is to test the plan's soundness, and they would likely question whether a reclassification is a defensive tactic, rather than a sound proposal based on evidence.
- Government Intervention: If this strategy proves successful and is widely adopted, the government would likely amend the PPG to close the "loophole" by providing a clearer definition of a town or village.
Potential Unintended Consequences
Even if a council is successful, this strategy is not without risks.
- Prolonged Planning Uncertainty: Debating the status of settlements will add further delays to the Local Plan process—the most logical place for such a reclassification, which many councils are already struggling with. The uncertainty prolongs the period where developers can make speculative applications, knowing that the council's position is yet to be examined and confirmed.
- Increased Development Pressure: Reclassifying a village as a town may inadvertently make it more vulnerable to development. Towns are often the focus of new development in a Local Plan's settlement hierarchy. Logically, a reclassified settlement would be allocated a significantly higher housing target, potentially attracting greater development pressure and intensity of use, which could conflict with the original desire to protect it.
- Increased Appeals: Developers are unlikely to be deterred by an unexamined settlement hierarchy. They will likely continue to submit applications on 'grey belt' land and factor in the need to go to appeal, where a Planning Inspector would have to weigh the evidence for and against the settlement’s new classification in an objective way.
