Permission in Greenbelt

[islandgirl]

Hello planning experts. I am a director of a not for profit organisation which is going to build a nursery next to a school. The school is in green belt. Does anyone know of companies which specialize in presenting the special case required to get planning consent in green belt? We are in the North West of England. Many thanks.

[pdk]

I was a green belt planner at the old GLC, before coming into planning consultancy...

Overcoming green belt considerations is very, very difficult... you will need very special circumstances to build a nursery school in the Green Belt so you would have to take a view on what these circumstances are. It would also need a thorough negotiation with the Council and you could end up involved in a planning appeal.

My advice is that you MUST have some sort of case... If you're much the same situation as any other nursery school you probably would not get a planning permission. But if there is no other site and the area is in really pressing need then you may stand a slim chance.

I think you should start by discussing the issues with the Council yourself.

Is the proposal new build or conversion? You'd have a better chance with the latter.

Another angle is to get the zoning changed but that is a long, drawn out process..

Please come back to me if you feel I can help furter...

PETER KYTE


NOTE: Peter Kyte BSC (Hons) DipTP MRTPI CGeog is an official LandlordZONE Topic Expert… For more information on Peter D Kyte Associates and Enabling Projects please see the websites at http://www.enablinguk.com and http://www.development-seekers.com. Any advice given by Peter Kyte in this Forum is of a general nature only and should not be taken to be a final and binding planning opinion. Based on any initial advice given you are strongly advised to seek a further professional opinion, which may involve a site visit and a detailed analysis of the issues... For information on the sort of work Peter undertakes please see TRACK RECORD (http://www.enablinguk.com/track.html), WORKING WITH INVESTORS (http://www.enablinguk.com/ur-property-investors-planning.html), and PROJECT TYPES (http://www.enablinguk.com/planning-project-permission-appeal-UK.html)...

[Planner]

I would agree with pdk. One of the main things you will be asked to do is a sequential approach to development. This is a theoretical hierarchy of preferred sites to build on. So the most preferred would be the conversion and reuse of existing buildings, then under this the development of brownfield or previously developed land, then greenfield or previously undeveloped land that is close to employment, housing and transport links, and then finally other areas, such as greenfield land on the edge of towns and cities and land in the green belt.

Working as a planner in the NW myself, I think you might have quite a lot of difficulty arguing that there’s no suitable brown field land for development, especially given the industrial decline experience over past decades in the region. Any planning consultancy would be able to deal with such a matter. Have a look at http://www.rtpiconsultants.co.uk/ which provides a full list of Royal Town Planning Institute consultants.

[islandgirl]

Thank you very much - very helpful information. There is a local need (we are a rural area) and we have been included in round 2 of the Children's Centre programme because of it. The site is next to a school. Will contact someone from the list - many thanks!

[Planner]

If your in a rural area are you sure its green belt and not simply greenfield? Green Belts are designated areas around major towns and cities to stop urban sprawl, to my knowledge they are very rarley (if at all present) in rural areas as there simply isnt the pressure for development like there is in the towns and cities. If your 100% certain it is greenbelt then contact a consultant, otherwise I would advise clarifying the position with the planning policy section of your local planning authority.