The human version (we wrote this, not the council)
This section introduces the Green Belt chapter. About 76% of Three Rivers is Green Belt, which exists to prevent urban sprawl and stop settlements merging by keeping land permanently open, serving the five purposes set out in national policy. Inappropriate development is generally not allowed except in very special circumstances, and the December 2024 national policy update introduced the concepts of grey belt and Golden Rules. The council's Stage 4 Green Belt Review (December 2025) analyses provisional grey belt land and identifies areas of fundamental importance.
An unofficial plain English summary. The official wording below is
what counts at examination; check it before you rely on anything here.
The text below is extracted automatically from the official PDF and may
contain artefacts; the PDF is authoritative.
7 Green Belt
Green Belt
7.1 Green Belt designation covers approximately 76% of the area of Three Rivers. The
fundamental aim of the Green Belt is to prevent urban sprawl and coalescence of
settlements by keeping land permanently open. As set out in the National Planning
Policy Framework, the Green Belt serves five purposes:
a) to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas;
b) to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another;
c) to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment;
d) to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns; and
e) to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and
other urban land.
7.2 Within the Green Belt, there is a general presumption against inappropriate
development which should not be approved except in very special circumstances.
Following the update to the NPPF in December 2024, the concepts of grey belt and
“Golden Rules” were introduced and form part of assessing whether exceptions to
inappropriate development in the Green Belt apply.
7.3 Protection of the Green Belt and open countryside is a key objective of the Three
Rivers Local Plan. However, the Green Belt boundary is tightly drawn around urban
areas, and local evidence (including the Urban Capacity Study 2020) has
demonstrated that fu ture development needs cannot be accommodated entirely
within the urban area.
7.4 As part of its evidence base for the Local Plan, the council has undertaken a Stage 4
Green Belt Review (December 2025) which includes a spatial analysis of provisional
grey belt (of land close to settlement edges) across the district and identifies areas of
fundamental importance which can help with decisions on whether the purposes of
the Green Belt have been