How can I find out if my land is in the Green Belt?

The Green Belt is a specially designated area of countryside protected from most forms of development.

It exists to help stop urban sprawl, preserve the character of existing settlements and encourage development within existing built-up areas.

The government is working on improving access to public land records, allowing you to check certain restrictions on land. You can view their progress here and see whether your land is greenbelt¹ (note: this is currently a prototype).

You should contact your local planning authority to find out whether your land is in a Green Belt area and to understand any planning policies or restrictions that may apply.

You can find contact details for your local planning authority on the Planning Portal: 

Find your local planning authority ^{(https://www.planningportal.co.uk/find-your-local-planning-authority)}

What is grey belt land?

Grey belt is a policy term used to describe lower-quality, brownfield or previously developed land within the Green Belt that may be considered for housing development to help address housing supply shortages. Grey belt land can include areas such as car parks, scrubland, or sites with disused or derelict buildings, often located near existing residential areas or transport infrastructure.

Grey belt is land within the Green Belt which does not strongly contribute to the Green Belt purposes of preventing the unrestricted sprawl of built-up areas, preventing towns from merging and preserving the setting and character of historic towns.

1. https://www.digital-land.info/map/?dataset=green-belt