Just nine hours after the NPPF was issued, Three Rivers planning committee resolved to grant what might be the first ‘grey belt’ planning permission and maybe a small piece of town planning history was made.

Just after the deferral of an application for a new McDonalds restaurant in Rickmansworth, permission was granted for a new light industrial building on Station Road, Kings Langley.  The planning officer needed to act fast – the new NPPF had only been released nine hours before the start of the meeting – but she updated the Committee that the site should now be considered grey belt and the development could be considered ‘appropriate.’

The site is brownfield with something of a chequered history. It’s a fire damaged house and grounds, now used for the storage of vehicles in connection with a former commercial use. It sits opposite the railway station (so it’s a sustainable location) and virtually underneath a viaduct carrying the M25 over the Gade Valley. It is clearly the type of ‘grey belt’ that the new government sees as an opportunity. After last night’s resolution, it should shortly get planning permission for a furniture manufacturing and distribution building for AR18 Ltd, a local business.

For property professionals, our entire approach to green belt sites needs to be rethought. First we need to look at the NPPF definition of grey belt and consider whether a site meets the criteria. If it’s previously developed land or does ‘not strongly contribute’ to the green belt, then it may well qualify as grey belt. This would open up a much wider range of development possibilities than has been possible since the concept of green belt was first conceived in 1938.

So well done to Three Rivers District Council officers and councillors for reacting so quickly to the new NPPF. This may well be the first permission to make better use of previously developed land under the new grey belt rules.