A political row has erupted over the future of Warrington’s Green Belt, with Liberal Democrat councillors warning that the new “Grey Belt” planning rules could open the door to piecemeal development across the borough.
The Lib Dems had a motion calling for greater scrutiny and control over Grey Belt planning applications was rejected by Labour councillors at Monday evening’s council meeting.
They say the issue is particularly significant in areas such as Lymm, where a series of developments and proposals have already fuelled concerns about the cumulative impact of housebuilding on the village and its infrastructure.
Cllr Laura Booth said the need for new homes should not mean abandoning the principle of protecting open countryside.
“We all recognise that Warrington needs homes but this does not mean abandoning the principle that some land is worth protecting.”
She said Green Belt was created because of the need to prevent urban sprawl and protect the character of towns and villages.
Changes to national planning policy mean that Grey Belt can apply to land within the Green Belt which does not strongly contribute to Green Belt purposes.
But the Lib Dems argue that the definition is too open to interpretation and could increasingly be used by developers as a justification for building on land which communities have traditionally regarded as protected countryside.
Cllr Booth said development should be “properly planned, properly assessed and properly justified”, with new homes located where the necessary infrastructure can support them.
She also called for developers to be held to account where affordable housing is used as part of the justification for planning approval.
“If the argument in favour of approval is that genuinely affordable houses will be delivered, then developers should be held to account with legally binding contracts if these homes are not delivered on time,” she said.
Cllr Luke Stuttard said Warrington was now experiencing what he described as a “climate of speculative piecemeal development”.
He warned that Grey Belt must not become an automatic justification for development.
“We believe the current definition of Grey Belt is too loose and subjective,” he said.
The Liberal Democrats want the forthcoming Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment to clearly identify which areas of the borough’s Green Belt are being assessed as Grey Belt.
They are also calling for the Government to reconsider the definition in order to strengthen safeguards.
And they point to developments around Lymm as evidence of why they believe tighter controls are required.
The party highlights the approval of 55 homes on land off Reddish Crescent, which it says was not allocated for development in the Local Plan.
A further proposal has been made for 60 homes on Green Belt land off Bucklow Gardens, while a proposal for 200 homes on a 31-acre site to the south west of Lymm is also expected from developer Richborough.
The Liberal Democrats argue that the individual applications need to be considered alongside their cumulative impact on roads, schools, health services, drainage and other local infrastructure.
They claim that allowing development to proceed on the basis that individual parcels of land can be classified as Grey Belt risks undermining the wider purpose of Green Belt protection.
The party insists it is not opposed to housebuilding.
Instead, it says new homes must be sustainable and delivered alongside the infrastructure needed to support growing communities.
Cllr Stuttard said:“Developers are exploiting loose subjective definitions as a justification to build.”
He claimed this could overwhelm infrastructure, erode village character and leave residents feeling that they have lost their voice in decisions affecting their communities.
The Lib Dems want greater scrutiny of the environmental, highway, infrastructure and cumulative impacts of Grey Belt proposals.
They also criticised the Labour Group for opposing their council motion.
“We are very disappointed that the Labour Group was whipped to oppose our reasonable proposals,” said Cllr Stuttard.
The dispute highlights one of the biggest challenges facing Warrington as it attempts to meet housing requirements while protecting what remains of the borough’s open countryside.
With the Strategic Housing Land Assessment expected to provide a clearer picture of how land is being categorised, the battle over what constitutes Green Belt, Grey Belt – and ultimately development land looks set to intensify.
For residents in areas such as Lymm, the argument is no longer simply about individual planning applications.
It is increasingly about how much countryside Warrington is prepared to lose in order to meet its housing targets – and who gets to decide where the line is drawn.
