Permission in Principle Secured Following Grey Belt Designation

We have received Permission in Principle (PiP) for a residential development in Denham, Buckinghamshire, marking our first Grey Belt approval.

Buckinghamshire Council has confirmed up to 9 homes can be built on a Green Belt site off Moorfield Road, adjacent to the River Colne & Flood Zone 2.

This approval has only been possible after we were successfully able to demonstrate the site as Grey Belt, as our associate director, Aaron Henecke explains: “Sustainably located near to Denham Green, the majority of this site falls within the Green Belt. However, following a review of Buckinghamshire Council’s Green Belt assessment, we were confident we could present a successful argument for Grey Belt designation and therefore pursued a PiP strategy to focus the Council’s assessment purely on the principle of developing the site for housing.

“Ultimately, Officers agreed that the site does not strongly contribute to Green Belt purposes a), b) or d), and that development would not undermine the Green Belt as a whole, whilst also confirming there were no Footnote 7 issues that presented a strong reason to restrict or refuse the development.

“As Buckinghamshire Council could not demonstrate a 5-Year Housing Land Supply, with South Bucks having less than 1 year’s supply, it meant development of the site would be acceptable in principle in accordance with Paragraph 155 of the NPPF.

“Securing this approval is a clear example of how a considered planning strategy can harness changes in National Policy to unlock previously off-limits Green Belt sites, creating value for our clients and for local communities,” adds Aaron.

We will now pursue a Technical Details Consent to agree design, layout, landscaping, and other technical aspects.

This site is one of several Grey Belt schemes we are actively working on across England. For advice on similar developments, please contact us via info@hpduk.com.