Data from Searchland shows that over 27,000 new homes could be back on the table
The potentially revived planning applications would come about due to being located on green belt land.
The government’s recent reforms may see much of the land that was previously rejected reclassified as grey belt land.
Grey belt land could bring over 3m new homes
Under the new legislation, there are an estimated 30,597 grey belt sites throughout England, which Searchland say could allow 3.4m homes to be developed if fully permitted.
Since 2010, 3,425 planning applications have been reject because of green belt locations.
If revisited, and given approval under the new regulations, 27,197 new homes, worth £12.2bn, could be added to the market.
21% of these potentially revived planning applications are located in the South East, accounting for 9,001 of the rejected new homes at £4.8bn in value. 19% of are in the East, with 4,215 potential new homes, and the North West contains 16%, London contains 12%, the West Midlands 10%, and Yorkshire and the Humber 10%.
“Developers are benefitting from a significant increase in the number of opportunities available to them”
The government’s planning reforms came in December and fell under some criticism.
Regarding grey belt land, the primary criticism comes from its clarity, as many feel that the definition of grey belt land is too loose or not well-defined.
At the time, Roger Mortlock, chief executive of CPRE, said: “The ‘grey belt’ policy needs to be much more clearly defined and exclude working farms. It will undermine the Green Belt, one of this country’s most successful spatial protections with huge potential to help address the climate and nature emergencies.”
There have also been concerns that, due to rules prioritising affordable housing on grey belt land, SMEs will struggle to build houses on the land, inadvertently relegating grey belt land exclusively for larger housebuilders.
Co-founder of Searchland, Hugh Gibbs, said: “With the grey belt now formally recognised by the National Planning Policy Framework, developers are benefitting from a significant increase in the number of opportunities available to them.
“As our previous research found, the grey belt could potentially deliver 3.4m new homes to the market, but it’s not just current grey belt plots that need to be considered.
“Since 2010, no less than 3,425 planning applications have been rejected due to the fact they were located in green belt land.
“With the creation of the grey belt, the likelihood is that these applications are well worth revisiting as they could lead to the construction of thousands of new homes with a market value to the tune of £12.2bn.”
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