B is for Belts

As we continue to share our how we champion our countryside, to celebrate 100 years of CPRE, we turn our attention to the “belts” — grey and green…

Green Belts

Green Belts have been at the heart of CPRE’s work for decades. These special areas not only preserve the distinctive character of our countryside and the settings of towns like Gloucester, Cheltenham, and Stroud, they also help to:

• Prevent urban sprawl and town mergers
• Protect farmland, wildlife habitats, and natural landscapes
• Direct development towards previously developed brownfield sites
• Provide breathing space and wildlife corridors for people and nature

Here in Gloucestershire, Green Belts remain a cornerstone of sustainable planning, ensuring the protection of our finite rural spaces.

Grey Belts –  a smarter approach?

Alongside Green Belts, CPRE has more recently championed the idea of “Grey Belts” — low-quality or previously developed land within the Green Belt, such as derelict buildings, abandoned yards, or edges of settlements that have already lost their green character.

Using these areas for development has the potential to meet housing needs without sacrificing our finite countryside. It supports the principle of building homes in the right places while protecting our countryside and strengthening the brownfield-first approach. Grey Belts allow communities to grow sustainably, with homes that are well-located, nature-friendly, and part of thriving, connected settlements.

Recent CPRE research highlights why careful planning is so important in relation to “belts”. Since the introduction of the government’s Grey Belt policy in 2024, 13 developments of 10 or more homes have been approved on Grey Belt land, delivering over 1,250 homes. Alarmingly, 88% of these are on previously undeveloped countryside, showing that even today, protecting Green Belt land remains crucial. These figures underline the ongoing importance of CPRE’s century-long approach; prioritising degraded or brownfield land in development decisions to safeguard our countryside.

Read CPRE’s full report

The current definition of Grey Belt is vague and risks opening up vital Green Belt land to unnecessary development. This threatens areas that play a crucial role in producing food, tackling climate change, restoring nature, and providing much-loved green spaces for local communities.

Discover Gloucestershire’s Green Belt

For a century, CPRE has stood up for our countryside, with Green Belts at the heart of that work. Grey Belts, when properly defined and used, offer new ways to grow without undermining what we have fought so hard to protect.

Featured in our centenary A–Z series, “B is for Belts” reminds us that the principles CPRE has championed for 100 years remain as vital to Gloucestershire’s countryside today as ever.