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Home , Bassetts Pole, Endon, Monks Kirby, Pailton, West Midlands Green Belt

What Price Green Belts?

June 2007 Acknowledgements

This report has been prepared by Peter Langley and Janine Bryant, with help from Gerald Kells, Malcolm and Patricia Kimber, Mark Sullivan and Phil Goode. We are grateful for advice from Graham Harrison. The section on the History of Green Belts in the West Midlands draws on Michael Law’s article in ‘Region and Renaissance’ (see references). The Green Arc Partnership have provided examples of positive improvements to the green belt. We are very grateful to Phil Jennings (www.pixelwizzard.com) for the design work. Photographs are by Peter Langley except where otherwise indicated. We are particularly grateful for the financial contribution from the and area that made a major contribution to the preparation and publication of this report.

Stoke-on-Trent

Staffordshire Burton upon Trent

Shrewsbury

Shropshire Walsall

Birmingham

Solihull Rugby Droitwich

Leominster Worcester Herefordshire Stratford-upon-Avon

Hereford What Price West Midlands Green Belts? Introduction

For the last fifty years, green belts have acted as one of the We need to ensure that our green belts are fit for the next best known and most popular planning tools for protecting fifty years of strategic planning. And that means also giving our countryside. They still command widespread public greater attention to the quality of green belt land itself. support. Although we can never know for certain what would Green belts contain some of the most valued and accessible have happened in the West Midlands without them it is likely countryside in the West Midlands, areas such as the Clent that the geography of the region would be very different – Hills and paths such as the Beacon Way, but other parts are and not for the better. They have preserved sharp distinctions too much like sterile ‘no go areas’. We need to improve green between urban and rural areas, encouraged development in belts so that as well as preventing sprawl they contribute more cities and towns instead of allowing it to sprawl outwards, positively to the lifestyles of the people who live and work in and prevented towns and cities from coalescing and losing the areas they surround. their separate identities. Subsequent sections of this report look at the evolution Green belts work because they are straightforward, have of green belt policy, the history of green belts in the West understandable goals and are supported by political will. Midlands, successes and failures, and the role of particular Without them, the countryside round our cities would have elements of green belt policy. We conclude with some been prey to speculative development and sprawl. suggestions for the future. Yet today, in the twenty-first century, when green belts Most importantly the report demonstrates that the emphasis are needed more than ever, some commentators seem willing politicians in the West Midlands place on the regeneration of either to dispense with them altogether or treat them as a our cities and large towns, and on sensitive rural renaissance, mere short-term brake on development. They argue that the depends crucially on the existence of strong green belts. green belt is an impediment to fast moving development, but in fact the kind of free-for-all they favour, with very few planning controls, would come at the cost of the environment and, just as importantly, would undermine the seeds of urban renaissance in regions like ours. We are glad that the Government have withstood calls to amend green belt policy from the economist Kate Barker, but at the same time, we worry that they are pursuing other policies, such as very high housing figures, which threaten to overwhelm the capacity of our cities and undermine green belts by the back door. While the boundaries of the green belt may need to be adjusted occasionally for good reasons, local decision makers need to cure themselves of the damaging habit of whittling Woods, Newnham Paddox, Warwickshire away at the green belt whenever it suits them. Green belts are by far the most effective tool for creating the ‘fixed urban growth boundary’ referred to by Power and Houghton:

‘The future of cities lies in what we call ‘smart growth’. This means containing the expansion of cities, by creating a fixed urban growth boundary, and intensively regenerating existing neighbourhoods to reverse the flight of people, jobs and investment into land gobbling, congestion generating and environmentally damaging urban extensions. Cities have a pulse, a biorhythm based on their resource use, waste and dependence on natural capital. When they grow outwards, these patterns become overstretched.’ ‘JIGSAW CITIES’, BY ANNE POWER AND JOHN HOUGHTON Green belt east of Stourbridge

ONE What Price West Midlands Green Belts? Green Belt Policy

Many people think that once an area is designated as green Most green belts encircle whole towns and cities, although belt, no new building will ever be allowed there. The reality is that is not always the case, and some include green wedges, more complex and not always easy to interpret. which often reach into the heart of a town of city. Circular 42/55 invited local authorities to consider designating green belts. It was replaced by Planning Policy Policies for the Green Belt Guidance Note 2 (PPG2) in 1988, which was updated in 1995. As well as more general policies for the protection of However the fundamentals of Government policy on green the countryside there is a general presumption against belts have remained largely the same over its fifty year history. ‘inappropriate development’ in green belts. Such development should only be approved in ‘very special circumstances’. The The main aim of green belts is to prevent urban sprawl by interpretation of these two phrases is fundamental to the keeping land permanently open. PPG2 (para 1.5) describes its effective operation of green belt policy and has been hotly five purposes – contested in many individual cases. „ To check the unrestricted sprawl of larger built-up areas; New buildings will generally be ‘inappropriate’ in the green „ To prevent neighbouring towns from merging into one belt, but there is a list of important exceptions in PPG2: another; „ Buildings used for agriculture and forestry; „ To assist in safeguarding the countryside from „ Essential facilities for outdoor sport and recreation; encroachment; „ Cemeteries; „ To preserve the setting and special character of historic towns; and „ The limited extension, alteration or replacement of existing buildings; „ To assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land. „ Limited ‘infilling’ within existing villages; Green belts, once defined, may help achieve other goals „ Limited infilling or redevelopment of major existing – such as providing areas for sport and recreation, preserving developed sites – e.g. factories, power stations, airfields, attractive landscapes, supporting nature conservation and hospitals and educational facilities; retaining agricultural land or forestry – but these are not the „ Mining operations. primary purposes of the green belt. The Extent of the Green Belt Green belts account for about 12% of the area of and just over 20% of the West Midlands. The overwhelming majority (about 78%) of green belt in England surrounds and the six other major conurbations. Some other green belts surround smaller cities, but green belts have only rarely been used to protect free-standing historic towns. Perhaps the key phrase in PPG2 (para 2.1) is that ‘the essential characteristic of green belts is their permanence’. Green belts are not intended to appear and disappear at the drop of a hat. ‘Once the general extent of a green belt has been approved it should be altered only in exceptional circumstances’. Even the detailed boundaries of the green belt should only rarely be changed. Green belts are expected to be several miles wide and their boundaries should follow recognisable features such as roads, streams or woodland edges.

Green belt south west of Stourbridge

TWO What Price West Midlands Green Belts?

PPG2 gives additional planning guidance on most of these categories, but cannot cover all eventualities. There remains a Wider Benefits of the Green Belt good deal of room for interpretation. Do sport and recreation Whatever the ‘official’ purpose and objectives of green facilities requiring large buildings significantly detract from belt policy, it is likely that green belts will in practice bring a the openness of the green belt? Should a new golf course be much wider range of benefits to the areas they cover and to allowed in the green belt even if its club house is as large as their surroundings. For example, in addition to their benefits several individual houses? What constitutes ‘limited infilling’ for local people, green belts may help to preserve the natural in villages and when is it an abuse? How can planners decide environment and the habitats of key species, providing a haven when redundant factories should be redeveloped and when for wildlife generally. They can protect ancient woodlands and not? And can land used for mineral working always be restored agricultural land. They can provide natural defence systems, to its former openness? for example against flooding, and can help to offset carbon emissions and pollution. They contribute to the tranquillity of an area, as CPRE’s recently published maps of tranquil areas throughout England show, and they can provide darker areas close to areas of concentrated light pollution at night. They make it easier for previously abandoned or misused land to be returned to nature. There is also growing evidence that ready access to the countryside around cities helps to relieve stress, and that people value the opportunity to escape the frenetic pace of life in large towns and cities. Green Belts include vital areas for Picnic site, Forhill recreation, quiet contemplation, study or education. They help to bring people, who might otherwise lack such opportunities, So when local councils decide individual planning applica- into contact with the natural world. They stimulate a search for tions they have a fair amount of leeway in interpreting the policy alternative solutions to the seemingly endless growth of urban guidance from Government. Most try to apply it consistently areas. Rich and poor alike have access to the benefits they and in a way which meets the spirit of the guidance and bring. ensures that the fundamental aims of the green belt are met. But some councils may have ‘bent the rules’ in particular cases. We would like to see a concerted effort to improve This inconsistency of application has led to a worrying erosion the quality and accessibility of the countryside in the of the integrity of particular parts of the green belt. green belt. This involves extending assets we already have and creating new habitats and accessible open The phrase ‘very special circumstances’ is also open to space. differing interpretations and the Government has given little help on this. PPG2 says that these circumstances will not exist ‘unless the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations’ (para 3.2). This vagueness is often exploited by developers keen to override green belt policy. Much then depends on the resolve of the local council to protect the openness of the green belt, especially where this may involve costly public inquiries, or even legal battles. If the council sees green belt as an overriding objective it will often face the developer down, but if not it may be prepared to trade off green belt to achieve other objectives leading in different directions. We will look at the green belt’s track record in the West Midlands in more detail later. What is clear is that ‘very special circumstances’ have not always been applied consistently and some developments have proved extremely controversial. We would like the Government to expand and strengthen its definition of ‘very special circumstances’ in the light of experience of the policy’s practical Mow Cop, operation. THREE What Price West Midlands Green Belts?

Kate Barker’s Review of Land-Use Planning Following her review of planning for housing, the economist Kate Barker was commissioned by HM Treasury to undertake a review of Land Use Planning in England and Wales. The review, published in 2006, included an assessment of some planning policies as well as the overall planning process. In her report Ms Barker assessed green belt policy and its operation. She accepted that ‘the major success of green belt policy over the past two decades has been in driving regeneration and urban renaissance, in conjunction with policies to encourage the use of under-used urban land’. She also concluded that Earlswood Lakes ‘green belt policy has played a major role in checking the More positively she emphasised the need to enhance the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas and safeguarding quality of green belt land, but to achieve this she wanted a the countryside from encroachment. Without the green belt, more tolerant attitude to developments which could help to the benefits of containment would have been much harder to fund improvements such as better access to the countryside, achieve’. opportunities for sport and recreation, landscape enhancement and the improvement of derelict or disused land. She particularly favoured green wedges and green buffers, and wanted to see the creation of open access woodland or public parks in place of low grade agricultural land.

Monument, Wychbury Hill

However she also expressed concern about the phenomenon of ‘leapfrogging’ where development takes place beyond the green belt to avoid its restrictions. This, she concluded, could lead to longer journeys (particularly for commuting) into the towns and cities concerned. We address this issue in more detail on page 5. Near Monks Kirby, Warwickshire An opinion survey she quoted suggested that land on the In May 2007, the Government said in its Planning White edge of towns and cities is not among the most important to Paper that no fundamental change in green belt policy protect, although these results are contradicted by CPRE’s own was envisaged. Green belt boundaries could be reviewed in survey (see page 7). It is noticeable that ‘green belt’ was not development plans as appropriate. directly mentioned in the Barker survey. We agree that green belt policy should not be Kate Barker concluded that because of pressures on the fundamentally changed, but improving the quality green belt in a number of parts of the country, green belt policy of the green belt should be a priority. We would not should be more sensitive to impacts in specific cases. She also want this to be linked (as Kate Barker suggests) to suggested that boundary changes should be considered to development in the green belt that would otherwise be allow development to extend out from cities or to build new refused. settlements.

FOUR What Price West Midlands Green Belts?

In the case of the West Midlands there are also substantial Green Belts and Sustainability towns and large villages within the green belt, so it is certainly One of the harshest criticisms of green belts (by Kate not true to say that metropolitan residents looking to move Barker and others) is that they contribute to the lengthening outwards must jump the green belt to do so. of journeys by forcing those who continue to work in our larger Secondly, it should not be assumed that everyone who cities to ‘leapfrog the green belt’ in search of a home. moves out of our larger cities continues to work in those areas. Precise information on this is lacking, but it appears that many who move out do so in order to make a number of lifestyle changes, such as working from home. Their choice of lifestyle – which also includes for example where they shop and spend leisure time – will often have much more influence on the length of journeys they make than how far away from the city they move.

A500/A34 junction, North Staffordshire

We do not accept that this is necessarily the case. The evidence is long standing and well established that compact cities tend to decrease the amount and distance people travel (for example, comparisons made of world cities by Newman and Kenworthy in the 1980s) Compact cities also provide the patronage to justify the cost of local public transport. The way to keep our cities compact is to continue to protect the green belt. However, there are other reasons why the leapfrogging criticism is unfounded. Firstly, new housing generally adds only about 1% to the existing housing stock in any one year. So even over a substantial period, the great majority of those searching for new homes will end up occupying a home from the existing stock.

Frankley Beeches

Thirdly, these issues should be considered in the wider context of urban regeneration. One of the expressed aims of the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy is to reduce and eventually eliminate the ongoing net migration of people for the major urban areas to the rest of the region. This currently amounts to a loss of over 12,000 people per annum. The green belt has been and remains a key contributor to that process. It constrains the outward spread of our cities and towns and avoids the sort of low density suburbanisation characteristic of many other countries, such as the USA and Australia. Our regional strategy has never been more focused on this task, and the green belt never more fundamental to its prospects of Lake near Pailton, Warwickshire success.

FIVE What Price West Midlands Green Belts?

The West Midlands Regional Conclusions Spatial Strategy Green belts bring a very wide range of benefits to the areas they serve. Some benefits are intangible and unquantifiable, The Regional Spatial Strategy, part of the development but they are none the less real for that. Green belts remain plan for every part of the region, has the fundamental aim of hugely popular with the general public. Any attempt to reduce reversing this migration to the shires. But despite a prominent the area covered by the green belt or to weaken its effect map of the green belts in the West Midlands inside its front would undermine the benefits green belts provide. cover, there is no specific green belt policy for the region. In the definition of ‘spatial strategy objectives’ (para 3.14) the Strategy lists retaining the green belt as one of ten objectives, but it qualifies this by allowing ‘….an adjustment of boundaries where this is necessary to support urban regeneration’. With no further explanation, this cryptic phrase is in danger of weakening the national policy, allowing green belt boundaries to be altered too easily. In almost all cases they are likely to be drawn back rather than extended. The Regional Strategy is currently under review. Some developers and commentators are urging a policy of building urban extensions to our large towns and cities, drawing back the green belt where necessary to achieve that. An Independent Panel has already looked at the implications of that for the Black Country (Phase 1 of the Regional Spatial Strategy Review) and warned us against such an approach.

‘We have no doubt that….developers would seek to take advantage of it by bringing greenfield sites forward Woods near Forhill effectively in competition with opportunities on previously Green belts do not enjoy a blanket ban on future developed land. There is a real risk that this could development. While small-scale development may do little undermine the redevelopment and re-use of urban sites, damage to the green belt’s role, ill-defined exceptional which would be a serious weakening of the regeneration circumstances can lead to much more significant developments strategy’. [Panel Report, para 1.17] slipping through the net. Green belt boundaries can change over time, and in the We believe it is vital that the Regional Assembly West Midlands some parts of the Regional Spatial Strategy reaffirms the positive role of green belts in promoting seem, whether deliberately or inadvertently, to have increased urban regeneration. We would like to see a strong the prospects of that happening. The Barker Review has also policy on green belt protection added to the Regional had a destabilising effect on the green belt, although the Spatial Strategy to support the protection and Government has not supported all its recommendations. enhancement of this vital asset to our region. Green belts act as a vital and central component in the key task of regenerating and reinvigorating our urban areas and creating truly sustainable communities in areas like the West Midlands. In this context, misplaced criticism of their possible impact on travel distances should not be taken seriously. All this adds up to a situation of considerable uncertainty for those who value the green belt. No planning policy is ‘absolute’ or overrides all other considerations, but we would like to see green belt policy tightened at all levels to limit potential abuses. Otherwise there is a serious risk of the erosion of the fundamental aims and characteristics of particular green belts. Hill country near Biddulph, North Staffordshire

SIX What Price West Midlands Green Belts? West Midlands Green Belts in Practice

A North Staffordshire Green Belt, surrounding the Potteries conurbation, was proposed in 1974 and approved in 1978. Finally, following a boundary change in 1991, Staffordshire also inherited some small areas of green belt between Burton- on-Trent and Swadlincote in . These three broad areas of green belt have remained substantially unchanged since their approval, though there has been some tinkering with boundaries and some areas have been lost to ‘exceptional circumstances’. The majority of green belt has remained in agricultural use throughout, but there has been a growth of other uses such as golf courses, playing fields and ‘horsiculture’ as well as informal recreation such as walking and cycling. Golf in the green belt, near Dorridge New roads – notably the M6 and , M5, M40, M42 The History of Green Belts in the and the A50 in North Staffordshire – have carved their way through the green belt, changing its character and bringing West Midlands further pressure for development. At one point regional policy Green belt has been described by Michael Law as a ‘mighty favoured development along transport corridors in the green sword in the planner’s armoury’ which is popular with the belt, but thankfully planners have moved away from that idea. man and woman in the street. Both features have been much Several large business parks have also been developed because in evidence in the history of green belts in the West Midlands. of exceptional circumstances and, as we shall see, some major As in other parts of the country, the first half of the incursions into the green belt have been allowed, in particular twentieth century saw strong pressure for the outward on the eastern side of . spread of the West Midlands’ towns and cities, fuelled by improvements to public transport and a growth in car ownership. Urban extensions became a feature of land-use planning, but encountered increasing opposition, particularly from county councils. There were also growing concerns about the need for recreational access to the countryside from the city. Building new towns, such as Telford and Redditch, provided an alternative way to house the growing population, as would expanding towns, such as Tamworth and Droitwich, later. Proposals for a Green Belt around Birmingham and the Black Country appeared in the 1948 Regional Study ‘Conurbation’. When the 1955 Circular invited proposals, the ‘Horsiculture’ near Stourbridge West Midlands local authorities put forward their proposals Green belts have proved to be immensely popular, as initially as amendments to development plans. The West confirmed by a 2005 opinion survey for CPRE. 85% of people Midlands Green Belt was publicised by the Midlands New surveyed in the Midlands (both East and West) believed that Towns Society. green belt land should remain open and undeveloped, with The green belts remained ‘proposed’, but with policies no building on it. People may not be familiar with the finer applied largely as if they were approved, until 1975, when points of green belt policy, but they have an innate sense of its the Secretary of State approved the West Midlands Green Belt. importance and worth. Even then about a quarter of it remained ‘interim’ and subject Green belts in the West Midlands also appear to have been to later review in structure and local plans. This led to some a key factor in supporting the much stronger emphasis on planning disputes, though for the most part the interim green urban regeneration in current regional policy. While at one time belt was treated on a par with its fully designated counterpart. green belts were seen negatively as a barrier to the outward All the interim green belt has now been fully approved. spread of the conurbations, and as leading to the displacement

SEVEN What Price West Midlands Green Belts?

of development to free standing towns beyond the green the number of planning permissions actually granted. There belt, planners now recognise their key role in refocusing was a particular concentration of planning applications close development in our major towns and cities. to the edge of the North Staffordshire Green Belt and to the They have certainly played a big part in the substantial south and south-east of Birmingham in the West Midlands increase in the proportion of development taking place on sites Green Belt. Over that three year period, 54% of applications which have been previously developed. Approximately 80% were granted. The majority probably constituted ‘appropriate of all house building in the West Midlands now falls into that development’ in the green belt, but the Assembly’s information category. They may also have had a significant impact on the does not allow a precise assessment to be made. density of development (particularly housing) which has risen We would like the Regional Assembly to consider most markedly in the region’s major urban areas. Their overall how its monitoring could better reflect whether effect has been to assist urban regeneration by encouraging development in the green belt is damaging the goals of the recycling of derelict and other urban land. green belt policy. This versatility and ability to adapt to changing The West Midlands Green Belt circumstances and priorities helps to explain the durability This is easily the largest of the three green belts in the of green belt policy and green belts themselves. While other West Midlands, covering some 923 square miles. It surrounds planning concepts and measures have come and gone, green Birmingham and , the Black Country and Coventry, belts have remained. When the Regional Spatial Strategy was typically extending between 6 and 15 miles outwards from the developed, they were largely taken as a given but the current edges of those major urban areas. The West Midlands Green pressure from Government to increase housing development Belt also contains many ‘holes’ for settlements of varying size, means their future needs to be secured. the largest being Redditch, Kidderminster and Cannock as well Successes and Failures as villages which are ‘washed over’ by it. In this section, we look at the application of green belt To the west of the Black Country, the green belt in South policy to different parts of the West Midlands. Although it is Staffordshire and district has been generally difficult to measure objectively what the effects of the green successful in preventing the outward spread of the conurbation. belt have been, or what would have happened without them, The Black Country is effectively contained and the green it is important to assess how effectively green belt policy has belt boundary coincides with the wooded ridge line along been put into practice. the Wolverhampton and Dudley boundaries with , ensuring that the Stour Valley remains largely rural. Sizeable settlements such as and pre-date the green belt and are compact and physically distinct from the conurbation, though not far from it. It is a tribute to the success of green belt policy that they have retained their separate identities rather than being simply swallowed up by their bigger neighbours. Any breach of the physical definition and screening of the conurbation here would fundamentally compromise the green belt’s openness and attractive rural landscape.

Towards Birmingham from Frankley Beeches Monitoring Green Belt Policy The West Midlands Regional Assembly’s most recent report on green belts in the region showed there was no significant change in the overall area of the green belt between 2001 and 2004, with very slight increases in Birmingham and Walsall balanced by slight decreases in Dudley and Redditch. However, there had been an increase in the number of significant planning applications in the green belt, and in Warehousing spreading north from Redditch

EIGHT What Price West Midlands Green Belts?

Further south, the closely clustered towns of Kidderminster, There is a more general pressure from developers for and Stourport-on-Severn are surrounded by green belt. housing, industrial and commercial development just outside There are substantial pressures for new housing in this area the conurbation. This is seen by some as the only way of raising but the green belt has generally succeeded in keeping these the quality of development serving the Black Country, given the three towns apart, and also separating them from the nearby shortage of green field sites within the urban area. However, conurbation. we reject the view that quality development can only be achieved on green fields or that this should become an excuse for development to spill out into the green belt. To the south of Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull, there is a mixed picture. In some parts of this area, for example between Bromsgrove and Kidderminster, rural character has been well preserved, with any development generally confined to a few of the larger villages. East of Bromsgrove, and particularly north of the M42 in the Wythall area, there has been a good deal of scattered development, some of it pre-dating the green belt, some in ‘holes’. Dickens Heath, a significant new village in the green belt, is relatively self-contained but was highly controversial in green belt terms and its poor public transport links make it of questionable sustainability. Wolverhampton Airport There has been some pressure for development close to The countryside in this western sector arguably has a junctions on the M42, but this has generally been resisted more rural ‘feel’ than that in most other areas of the Green south of the conurbation. Of more concern are pressures for Belt. Despite their geographical proximity to the conurbation, both commercial and housing development to the north of villages such as Enville and Claverley have a very strong rural Redditch. Worcestershire County Council appears to support character. It simply does not feel as if you are within a few housing development in the green belt near Redditch and there miles of a large conurbation. is already a creep of industrial and commercial development on the northern edge of the town. However this western area of the Green Belt has been threatened by two specific development proposals that could undermine its integrity and effectiveness. A long-standing proposal for a ‘Western Orbital Motorway’ linking the M6 north of Wolverhampton to the M5 near Bromsgrove was rejected a few years ago. More recent proposals for bypasses of Wolverhampton and Stourbridge, through roughly the same corridor, have also been rejected, but still have their proponents. If such road schemes went ahead, they would destroy much of the character of this part of the green belt and invite development to stream into the area. We believe they should be stoutly resisted. A more specific threat is that of the expansion of

Wolverhampton Airport at Halfpenny Green. This small airport, M42 south of Birmingham currently used for small planes (classified as either business flying or general aviation) has in the past sought to expand A spur of green belt extends southwards through the A38 to take commercial passenger flights. It lies in a deeply rural corridor to Worcester. The sections of green belt between part of the green belt and, even with substantial investment Bromsgrove and Droitwich and Droitwich and Worcester in roads and public transport, would still be hard to reach. Its have generally been successful in preventing sprawl from expansion would be wholly at odds with green belt policy and those settlements and keeping them apart. However this has would greatly damage the largely unspoilt rural character of been treated as a ‘high technology corridor’ for some years the surrounding area, especially through the spread of ancillary by the regional development agency and could become an development such as service facilities, car parking and new excuse for drawing back green belt boundaries. More recently, road building. Worcestershire County Council have indicated that they are

NINE What Price West Midlands Green Belts?

ready to see substantial green field development on the edge of Worcester, some of which could take place in the green belt. The green belt in this corridor is therefore potentially vulnerable. To the east of Birmingham/Solihull, the green belt has come under immense pressure and there have been a number of significant incursions into it, usually justified under ‘very special circumstances’. The heartland of the celebrated ‘’ (separating Birmingham and Solihull from Coventry) and the area further south towards the towns of Warwick, Leamington and Kenilworth, has been reasonably well protected by green belt policy. Without it, there could have been more or less continuous development along the Birmingham International Airport A45 between Birmingham and Coventry. Knowle and Dorridge, for example, would probably have been swallowed by the The expanding airport has a more general impact by conurbation. attracting related development – such as car parking, additional roads, industry, warehousing, housing and services. Developers often argue that the green belt is the only feasible location for this. For example, two business parks – Birmingham and Blythe Valley – have been developed on what was formerly green belt. Proximity to the airport was clearly a major factor in their location. The National Motorcycle Museum has also been built nearby. Other proposals, such as a National Football Stadium east of the M42, have come and gone. Further north, proposals for a Major Investment Site at Peddimore and for a Business Park at Bassetts Pole, both east of the A38, caused a wave of opposition until both proposals were withdrawn by The Meriden Gap Birmingham City Council.

Protection has been much less successful to the west of the M42. Leading the assault on the green belt in this area has been the National Exhibition Centre, built in the early 1970s and expanded on a number of occasions since. Birmingham International Station was opened in 1976 to serve the NEC and neighbouring Birmingham Airport. The airport itself has been reasonably well contained within its existing boundaries but a south-eastwards extension of the existing runway and eventually the construction of a new runway are now threatened, each of which would make substantial inroads into the green belt.

Peddimore, former major investment site The cumulative effect of such high profile development has been to turn the area between the conurbation boundary and the M42 into a de facto area of overspill for Birmingham and Solihull. Green belt policy has been largely impotent in stemming this tide. Although some undeveloped areas remain, most are under some form of development threat. Even the area immediately east of the M42 may not be immune from development, and with no natural boundary to deter eastwards Blythe Valley Business Park sprawl into the Meriden Gap that is an issue of grave concern.

TEN What Price West Midlands Green Belts?

The green belt has been much more successful at stemming character, though there have been some disfiguring mining the westward spread of Coventry into the Meriden Gap. The operations. There could however be pressure for industrial and edge of the built-up area remains well defined, although commercial development, particularly close to the M6 Toll. development at Keresley has posed something of a threat. Further west, towards Cannock, the green belt is much less The Hawkhurst Moor coal mine proposal of the 1980s was a continuous and significant areas of previously developed land major threat, but its refusal was partly on green belt grounds. are available for development. It is particularly important here A continuing threat remains on the southern side of Coventry, that any future development is steered to brown field sites where the narrow green belt gap between it and Kenilworth outside the green belt rather than being allowed to jeopardise may be eroded by the further expansion of Warwick University. what is already a heavily fragmented green belt. Settlements, such as Cannock, , Brownhills, , Cheslyn Hay, Pelsall and Aldridge, are already close to one another. Unless planning policy is strong, they could easily merge, not only with one another but also with the built-up area of Walsall and Willenhall to effectively extend the Black Country as far north as .

Conurbation edge,

The green belt has been generally successful in containing the outward growth of Coventry, in contrast to Leicester, for example, which has no green belt. To the south-east the green belt includes the Leam Valley and Dunsmore Heath. North of the A45 it is a spacious agricultural landscape which retains Site of Brinsford park and ride its rural character and includes a number of attractive villages Further west again, the M6 Toll joins the M6 and there is protected by conservation areas. This area was threatened by a proposal for a new or improved road link to the M54. This the Rugby Mega-Airport proposal in 2003. Though this was again is a ‘danger area’ in which development could destroy dropped a year later, it shows that the green belt remains the integrity of the green belt. The Government’s recent vulnerable precisely because it is open and undeveloped. decision to widen the M6 to four lanes in each direction North of Coventry, the gap between the city and could also have a significant impact on the green belt here. is filled by the M6, but that between Bedworth and Nuneaton A proposed substantial residential and business development survives, despite having been threatened by industrial including a park-and-ride site at Brinsford would breach the development. The threat of housing development at Bedworth strong defining line of the M54 boundary between the Black Woodlands, west of the A444, was averted by a strong Country and the green belt. If permitted it would effectively campaign and this area should now be added to the green belt. urbanise an area of about a square mile. To the north of Birmingham and the Black Country, there is a patchy picture in which the green belt has been much more successful in some areas than in others. The M6 Toll has been a major incursion into the green belt. It is also likely to become a strong catalyst for further development, but since it has only been open a few years it is too early to judge the extent to which this will happen. The green belt in has an indistinct outer boundary which does not extend to , but it protects a little-known, well wooded landscape. The area between Sutton Coldfield and has generally been well protected and has managed to preserve a largely open Development alongside M6 Toll

ELEVEN What Price West Midlands Green Belts?

To the north and east of the conurbation important efforts parkland to include extensive shopping facilities and a have been made to improve the environmental quality of the ‘Center Parcs’ type complex in the attractive Maer Hills. In this green belt. For example the Green Arc initiative is a partnership specific area, as well as elsewhere, threats from quarrying and between local authorities, Natural England, the Forestry exploitation by gas drilling have only been narrowly averted. Commission and Midlands Expressway Ltd to mitigate the Proposals such as these, if permitted, would have impacts far effect of the M6 Toll and improve the environment and general beyond their actual site boundaries. quality of life in the area. This is an illustration of the more positive approach to the green belt discussed on page 16.

Maer Hills, suth west of Newcastle-under-Lyme

At Trentham, a proposal to build 24 executive homes in the

Retail development, Trentham Lakes, North Staffordshire green belt was to be approved by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, but has now been turned down by the Secretary of State. It was In summary the West Midlands Metropolitan Green Belt claimed that the need for executive homes constituted the very has been relatively successful at restricting urban sprawl. To special circumstances required to justify over-ruling green belt take just one example, it has largely prevented development at policy. However it is difficult to see how applications such as motorway junctions on the M42. But its success in preventing this can be permitted without putting at risk the integrity and the coalescence of smaller settlements is more patchy, effectiveness of the green belt. particularly near its inner boundary. Even where settlements The Government’s recent decision to widen the M6 to four remain nominally apart from one another (as for example lanes in each direction could add further development pressure Coleshill and Chelmsley Wood), the urban fringe area between close to the two motorway junctions (15 and 16) to the west them has often been despoiled and degraded by roads, power of the conurbation. This is a very attractive area of countryside lines and other urban intrusions. through which the West Coast Main Line railway from London, the South East and the Midlands to the North West and The North Staffordshire Green Belt Scotland also passes. This green belt, covering 110 square miles in the north of the region, surrounds the Potteries conurbation, extending to Burton-upon-Trent Leek to the north-east and embracing Biddulph to the north. The small areas of green belt on the eastern side of Burton, It continues across the county and regional boundary into between it and the border with Derbyshire, are discontinuous. Cheshire. It contains some exceptionally fine upland scenery as Their effectiveness in preventing outward sprawl must therefore well as attractive countryside west of Newcastle. be questionable, though they protect specific areas of land In general the North Staffordshire Green Belt has been from development. under less development pressure than its West Midlands The proposal by the West Midlands Regional Assembly counterpart but green belt policy has been most effectively to designate Burton-upon-Trent as a ‘sub-regional focus’ for deployed by districts adjacent to the built-up area. Some development, if confirmed, could have a significant effect on potential development may have been ‘siphoned off’ into fast the remaining green belt. Up to 15,000 new homes could growing Cheshire. There are substantial reserves of developable be built in the district of East Staffordshire over 25 years as land within the North Staffordshire Conurbation, and the a result. Given the proximity of Needwood Forest and other rejuvenation of this area is central to any policy of restraining attractive countryside to the west of the town and the large outward expansion into the green belt. quantity of development that has taken place in the A38 Nevertheless some specific development proposals have corridor, there is bound to be pressure to develop on the east come forward, often to exploit the area’s attractiveness, such as side, between Burton and Swadlincote, possibly on some of the a hotel at Wedgwood’s factory, redevelopment of the Trentham remaining areas of green belt.

TWELVE What Price West Midlands Green Belts?

along the A38 north-east of Lichfield, but has been much more Key Aspects of West Midlands tightly contained to the south and west. In Warwick, there has Green Belts been substantial development on the south-western side of the In this section we look at some particular aspects of the town, towards the M40 motorway, but little to the north. extent and role of green belts in the West Midlands. There are some exceptions to this pattern. Redditch, Bromsgrove, Kidderminster, Cannock, Bedworth and Kenilworth Inner Boundaries are all close enough to the conurbation (or Coventry) to be One of the most distinctive features of the West Midlands surrounded by green belt on all sides. In most cases this has Green Belt in particular is that its inner boundary closely been successful in constraining development. follows the outer edge of the conurbation and Coventry. When green belt boundaries were drawn, very little land was left between the urban area and the green belt to provide for longer term development. PPG2 says that: ‘If boundaries are drawn excessively tightly around existing built-up areas it may not be possible to maintain the degree of permanence that Green Belts should have. This would devalue the concept of the Green Belt and reduce the value of local plans in making proper provision for necessary development in the future.’ [paragraph 2.8] Having such tight green belt boundaries in the West Midlands is not, therefore, entirely supported by policy guidance and has had mixed results. In many areas, the integrity of the green belt has been retained. The tight inner A green wedge near Cradley boundary has helped to maintain a sharp edge between the conurbation and its surroundings, and little or no peripheral ‘Holes’ in the Green Belt development has occurred. A number of existing built-up areas are large enough to be omitted from the green belt. The towns mentioned above In other areas, however, development pressures have proved are examples, but other smaller settlements excluded from too strong and the green belt has been breached, often on the green belt include , Knowle and Dorridge, several different occasions and sometimes to a very substantial Kinver, Wombourne, Codsall and Burntwood. A similar pattern degree. Probably the best example is the area close to exists in North Staffordshire where Biddulph and villages such Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition as Endon, Madeley and Keele are excluded. Centre, where development has moved outwards towards the M42 motorway. Although much of this development was To some extent this pattern is unavoidable. The alternative allowed in the green belt under ‘very special circumstances’, it would have been for the green belt to ‘wash over’ settlements, could be argued that the overall integrity of the green belt in but in the case of larger settlements in particular this might this area has been weakened by the frequent changes. Planners have inhibited development within the settlement, even were unable to anticipate long-term development needs and though such development might have had little bearing on the take them into account in defining the extent and precise openness of the area as a whole. boundaries of the green belt. Nevertheless there are some areas, for example south of Birmingham, north of Walsall and north-east of Stoke-on-Trent, Outer Boundaries where the green belt contains so many holes that it resembles The West Midlands Green Belt extends outwards to the a Swiss cheese. In areas like this, the green belt is vulnerable to edges of a ring of towns surrounding the conurbation. In the encroachment from within as well as from without. The often cases of Lichfield, Tamworth, Nuneaton, Rugby, Warwick and very narrow areas of green belt between individual settlements Leamington, Stratford-upon-Avon, , Worcester and become vital barriers to development, helping to preserve the Stourport, the green belt reaches the edge of the town on its character and integrity of these settlements. Not all of them conurbation side but does not surround it. This means that have been successfully retained. control of development is generally tighter on the side of those towns facing the conurbation and weaker on the opposite side Green Wedges or sides. In some cases this seems to have led to a distorted Among the distinctive features of the West Midlands pattern of development. For example, development has spread Metropolitan Green Belt are the narrow wedges of green belt

THIRTEEN What Price West Midlands Green Belts?

extending well into the conurbation or Coventry. The most become a future example. In these cases, pressure for striking example is the green wedge extending out from the development can become cumulative to a point which Valley in the heart of the conurbation to Brownhills, destabilises the whole meaning and purpose of the but there are others to the north, west and south of the green belt. Once one major development breaches the Black Country, in south-west Birmingham (Woodgate Valley), policy, it becomes increasingly difficult to resist others; between Sutton Coldfield and Walmley, and both east and „ More generally, developers have found ever more west of Coventry (the Sowe Valley and Coundon Wedge). ingenious ways to argue that their developments Sutton Park, to the north of Birmingham, is a substantial area are ‘appropriate’ or that there are ‘very special of green belt completely surrounded by the conurbation. circumstances’ justifying them. Some of these arguments Some consider these green wedges an anomaly but they have been successful, others not. Because this type of have a particularly important role in meeting the green belt development is quite scattered, it does concentrated objective of stopping towns and villages coalescing. They are damage to a particular part of the green belt, but it can also among the parts of the green belt most highly valued undermine the overall integrity of the green belt and the by local people. They bring open space and countryside very respect and weight given to it. close to residential areas and provide excellent recreational opportunities. They also help to preserve the distinctive character and sense of identity of places which could otherwise be ‘swallowed up’ in an amorphous conurbation. They play a significant role in efforts to regenerate the conurbation and make it more attractive as an area in which to live and work. Conclusions There is no doubt that green belts in the West Midlands have been generally successful in preventing urban sprawl, particularly the outward spread of the conurbations. We cannot be certain what would have happened without them, but it is likely that tongues of development would have extended outwards along the main transport corridors, with clusters near motorway junctions and railway stations in particular. Some, at least, of the free-standing towns and large villages within five miles of the conurbation’s edge would probably Green belt views near Monks Kirby, Warwickshire have been absorbed into it. The sharp distinction between urban and rural which exists in most parts of the region would have become blurred. This outward spread of development would almost certainly have fuelled the exodus of people and jobs from our major urban areas into the rest of the region. At over 12,000 people (net) per annum this is still far too high for the region’s good, but it would have been much higher still without green belt protection. On the other hand, looking at the region in greater detail, we cannot be entirely satisfied with the role of the green belt. There have been two main problems: „ In some specific ‘hot spots’ the green belt has been overwhelmed by development pressure to a point where its continued integrity is in grave doubt. The area close to the National Exhibition Centre and Birmingham Airport is by far the most significant example, but there are others on a smaller scale. The Worcester area could

FOURTEEN What Price West Midlands Green Belts? Conclusions and Recommendations

Green belts matter to the West Midlands more than to almost any other English region. The West Midlands has a large central urban core (with a smaller urban area in the north) and a large rural hinterland, much of which has relatively good transport links to those major urban areas. With such good communications, the region has seen a strong exodus of people and jobs from these urban areas throughout the second half of the twentieth century. The flow was at its height in the 1970s but still continues at a high level today. It is a central aim of the current Regional Spatial Strategy to reduce and eventually reverse this flow. We cannot know how many people would have moved out of the cities if green belts had not existed. What can be said with certainty is that with the refocusing of regional planning onto urban regeneration, green belts have once again come into their own. Without them, an urban regeneration strategy stands little or no chance of success. Nothing should be done to diminish the integrity or the Lake near Pailton, Warwickshire effectiveness of green belts at local, regional or national level. Instead they should be strengthened by: „ defining more clearly than national policy does the ‘very special circumstances’ which would be needed for development to take place in the green belt, „ clarifying ‘grey areas’ in ‘appropriate development’. „ creating a specific green belt policy in the RSS, setting out the purpose of each green belt in the region. It is important to look ahead. We are entering a period where we need much tougher policies to tackle the threat of climate change, with the depletion of fossil fuels also Conurbation edge, Stourbridge likely to play a significant part in how we plan transport and development. Refocusing policy should acknowledge the significance of green belts in fighting climate change. They act as key carbon sinks, helping to diffuse the carbon emissions of the urban areas they surround, as areas for sustainable water systems to help alleviate drought and flooding, and as sources of local produce and renewable energy. That does not necessarily mean that the present area of the green belt is exactly right. To refocus and reinvigorate the policy, we should „ re-examine current boundaries to make sure that they remain fit for purpose. „ if necessary extend the green belt in some places, for example to help control growth in some of the ‘sub- regional foci’ and other freestanding towns in the region. New development, , North Staffordshire

FIFTEEN What Price West Midlands Green Belts?

This should be done in a co-ordinated, planned way, not through ad hoc decisions on specific developments, and the goal must be to strengthen the region’s green belts, equipping them for at least the next 25 years. They are about to be tested like never before, and they must be strong enough to pass that test. We also recommend that the Regional Spatial Strategy should take a much more positive approach to the way green belts are used. David Miliband, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has recently referred to ‘green belts turning a deeper shade of green’ and to the ‘potential to put the green back into the green belt’. We recommend: „ a proactive policy of environmental upgrade in green belts, This should draw on work already in progress, for example by the Green Arc Partnership. The emphasis should vary from area to area, but could Pipe Hall Improvements, near Burntwood, Staffordshire (Picture courtesy of the Green Arc Partnership) include: „ Selective woodland planting to strengthen carbon sinks and enhance the landscape; „ Other landscaping to diminish the visual and noise impact from the urban edge; „ Wildlife and biodiversity enhancement and new habitat creation to improve the ecological significance of green belts; „ Cleaning and clearing derelict and disused sites and removing eyesores; „ More effective restoration of mineral workings, landfill sites etc; „ Proactive land management to improve the quality of land use; Community involvement in environmental improvement (Picture courtesy of the Green Arc Partnership) „ Selective improvements to opportunities for informal recreation, such as walking and cycling – e.g. provision of new and improved public rights of way; To do this, each part of the green belt needs: „ An Environmental Enhancement Plan built into the relevant Local Development Framework to cover activities such as these. Above all we need to engender a new sense of purpose and enthusiasm for green belts. Because of their extent, their effectiveness and their predominantly rural character, they contribute greatly to the attractiveness of the West Midlands. They have stood the test of time far better than any other planning policy, but there is a very real danger that they will be taken for granted and allowed to ’wither on the vine’ through Gailey Clay Pits improvement, Staffordshire sheer complacency. It is time to bring green belts back to the (Picture courtesy of the Green Arc Partnership) centre of the stage in planning the future of the West Midlands.

SIXTEEN References

Barker, Kate – Review of Land-Use Planning in England and Wales, 2006

CPRE Green Belt Omnibus Questions, conducted by MORI between 30 June and 4 July 2005 – CPRE Press Release 49/05

CPRE – Saving Tranquil Places: West Midlands, October 2006

Department for Communities and Local Government, – Planning for a Sustainable Future (White Paper), May 2007

Department of the Environment - Planning Policy Guidance Note 2: Green Belts – January 1995

Green Arc Partnership – The Story of the Green Arc Partnership, 2007

Law, Michael – Green Belts in the West Midlands, in Region and Renaissance , Chapman, D, Harridge C, Harrison J and G, Stokes B, Brewin Books, 2000

Miliband, David – speech on ‘A Land Fit for the Future’, to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the founding of CPRE – March 2007

Ministry of Housing and Local Government - Circular 42/55

Newman, Peter and Kenworthy, Jeffrey - Cities and Automobile Dependence – an International Source Book – Gower Technical, 1989

Power, Anne and Houghton, John – Jigsaw Cities – Policy Press, 2007

Regional Planning Guidance for the West Midlands (The West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy - RPG11), approved June 2004

West Midlands Regional Assembly – Regional Spatial Strategy Annual Monitoring Report 2004: Green Belt

West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy, Draft Phase One Revision – the Black Country – Report of the Panel, March 2007

Printed on 9lives 80 Silk which contains 10% Packaging Waste, 10% Best White Waste, 60% de-inked waste fibre and 20% TCF Virgin Fibre (NAPM approved) and printed using vegetable based inks. For further information about CPRE West Midlands, please contact Gerald Kells, Regional Policy Officer. Telephone: 01922 636601 Website: www.cprewm.org.uk Email: [email protected]