For how long Grey Belt remains part of the policy landscape time will tell, but in the here and now it represents very welcome political recognition that the homes the country needs cannot be built without developing land that is currently identified as Green Belt.
The irresistible force, it might be said, has started to shift the immoveable object...
If that dynamic continues it may prompt questions about what the Green Belt should actually be for and, perhaps, a Royal Commission on it’s future, but that is very much for tomorrow.
In the here and now planners need to know how the inclusion of the Grey Belt concept within the December 2024 version of the NPPF will affect their working lives because anybody involved in trying to bring sustainable sites forward will most surely have their working lives affected.
To support practitioners understand the implications of Grey Belt Landmark Chambers held a seminar in London in early May 2025, which, unsurprisingly, was heavily over-subscribed and so the audio was captured in order that the insights shared by some of the Landmark team could be shared by way of the 50 Shades podcast.
This episodes includes:
- Christopher Boyle KC introducing Grey Belt as it is defined in the NPPF, the implications for plan-making and decision making, and an introduction to the Golden Rules (from 11:00);
- Melissa Murphy KC diving a little more deeply into the practical implications (from 28:16);
- Stephen Whale reviewing the Grey Belt appeal decisions that have been permitted (from 44:49);
- Nick Grant reviewing the Grey Belt appeal decisions that have been dismissed (from 01:00:25); and
- Hashi Mohamed offering his top tips for clients (from 01:16:03).
Either side of those contributions are opening and closing remarks from Rupert Warren KC.
Some accompanying reading.
Grey Belt: policy guidance and appeals presentation
https://www.landmarkchambers.co.uk/events/grey-belt-policy-guidance-and-appeals
The Green Belt. What it is and why; what it isn't; and what it should be
https://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-green-belt-what-it-is-why-it-is.html
On Grey Belt
https://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2024/11/on-grey-belt.html
Some accompanying listening.
Sea Change by Turin Brakes
https://youtu.be/OfzdLUwWZg8?si=KROayX0tvHmzNidO
Any other business.
50 Shades T-Shirts!
If you have listened to Episode 45 of the 50 Shades of Planning you will have heard Clive Betts say that...
'In the Netherlands planning is seen as part of the solution. In the UK, too often, planning is seen as part of the problem'.
Sam said in reply that that would look good on a t-shirt and it does. Further details can be found here.
Sam is on Bluesky (@samuelstafford.bsky.social) and Instagram (@samuel__stafford). His blog contains a link to his newsletter.
50 Shades of Planning
50 Shades of Planning is Sam Stafford’s attempt to explore the foibles of the English planning system and it's aim is to cover the breadth of the sector both in terms of topics of conversation and in terms of guests with different experiences and perspectives.
50 Shades episodes include 'Hitting The High Notes', which are a series of conversations with leading planning and property figures. The conversations take in the six milestone planning permissions or projects within a contributor’s career and for every project guests are invited to choose a piece of music that they were listening to at that time. Think Desert Island Discs, but for planners.
Sam is on Bluesky (@samuelstafford.bsky.social) and Instagram (@samuel__stafford), and his blogs can be found here: http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com (from where you can also sign up for his newsletter and buy a t-shirt).
The 50 Shades platforms are expressions of Sam's personal opinions, which may or may not represent the opinions of his past, present or future employers.
50 Shades of Planning is by planners and for planners and so if you would like to use the podcast or the YouTube channel for sharing anything you think that the sector needs to be talking about then do please feel free to get in touch with Sam via [email protected].
Why Fifty Shades? Well, planning is not a black and white endeavour. There are at least fifty shades in between....
