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*Life is full of difficult choices, and the larger they are and the more options we have, the harder they get. Taking into account more options, we melt down. Pick this __Green Belt Architectural Practices__ or that __Green Belt Architectural Practices__? We dont know which is comprehensibly better, and analysis shows that most people will not pick at all when shown a range of equally fine options.* When submitting a planning application an understanding of the various local policies, requirements and opportunities are critical. This is to ensure that building projects can be approved in a timely and cost-effective manner, enabling high-quality developments and maximising the potential of their clients' sites. London must continue to protect its valuable green spaces and beautiful open countryside, but this is wholly compatible with seeing how the green belt can play a small part in helping to accommodate the new homes that London needs. Paragraph 55 of the NPPF sets out that, in rural areas, housing should be located where it will enhance or maintain the vitality of rural communities and that new isolated homes should be avoided. As well as not enhancing the vitality of rural communities, isolated homes force residents to be dependent on private vehicles to access facilities and services; this goes against the principles of sustainable development. Green Belts were designed to halt urban sprawl and to force town planners to regenerate areas within the urban boundaries rather than building out into the open countryside. Land is designated in a ‘belt’ around a town or city such that it must remain ‘open’ and permanently free from built development – forever. If new housing development is to be contemplated on land that is currently designated as Green Belt in whatever location, then this should not be progressed through ad-hoc planning pplications, but be proposed by way of Local Plan or Strategic Green Belt Reviews when the detailed boundaries of the Green Belt can be properly assessed as part of the formal plan process. Around towns and cities there may be a need to protect open land from development. This can be achieved through the identification of Green Belts and/or local designations, such as green wedges. Proposals for both Green Belts and green wedges must be soundly based and should only be employed where there is a demonstrable need to protect the urban form and alternative policy mechanisms, such as settlement boundaries, would not be sufficiently robust. ![Green Belt Architectural Practices](https://cleararchitects.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/385-Mulberry-Project-Listing-Image-450-x-300-scaled.jpg) Green belt architects aim to ‘de-risk’ complicated and time-consuming planning permission processes and frequently work closely with councils and other key stakeholders, including local communities affected, to successfully instil confidence in the challenging developments that their clients propose. The construction of a building can drastically reduce the ecological and hydrological function of the land in which it’s built upon, and so a sustainable building should look to minimise this and reduce those impacts. You need realistic advice from specialised green belt architects to find out whether your design falls under Permitted Development or whether it needs planning permission, and what needs to done to make sure that it passes muster. Any proposed development is going to be thoroughly scrutinised, so you need all the expertise you can. Architects that design for the green belt have a client-led focus, that does away with pre-prescribed ideas about how a project should be designed. The resulting homes always manage to look perfectly at home in their (often rural) landscapes. Clever design involving [Net Zero Architect](https://cleararchitects.co.uk/net-zero-architect/) is like negotiating a maze. ## Dot The I’s And Cross The T’s The metropolitan green belt’s definitive aim is to restrict the urban sprawl of cities. In turn, this safeguards the surrounding countryside from development, enforcing the reuse of derelict land or ‘brownfield sites’. Additionally, the green belt acts as a barrier, stopping neighbouring towns and cities from merging. There is a crisis of housing and affordable homes in rural areas. Pressure to build more houses to accommodate second and third homes puts pressure on housing availability and on land, which frequently is good quality agricultural land better suited to supplying long-term food requirements. Sustainable design is the practice of creating buildings which make as little impact on the natural world as possible. It promotes the health of the building’s occupants at the same time as reducing the negative effects of the construction process on the environment. A green belt architectural business' philosophy is that every project should contribute socially, environmentally, technologically and contextually. Their design ethos is focused on creating high quality spaces that contribute to their surroundings, taking into consideration lifestyle, interior design, context and energy conservation. The UK Government has ratified the European Landscape Convention and its implementation by embedding it within the NPPF and the plans and policies of spatial plans. The European Landscape Convention emphasises the need to value all landscapes and signalled a move away from designating local landscape areas for specific protection. Conducting viability appraisals with [Green Belt Planning Loopholes](https://cleararchitects.co.uk/green-belt-planning-loopholes/) is useful from the outset of a project. Much like an Article 4 direction removes automatic permitted rights developments in cities, it’s worth bearing in mind that councils consider any development in the Green Belt (whether it is actually green or not) automatically negative, and so everything proceeds on an ‘exception’ basis. Since the introduction of the NPPF in 2012, planning inspectors have rarely challenged local authorities who have promoted Green Belt release, even where there are significant amounts of brownfield land available. Man’s strive for increased comfort and financial independence, the densification of congested urban areas, a strong increase in traffic levels and the growing electric smog problem due to new communication technologies all cause ever rising stress levels in the immediate vicinity of the individual. Proposals for the re-use of property in the green belt should be able to be readily served by required infrastructure including water, sewerage and electricity and be able to provide all required parking and access standards. Normally the planning system is set up to allow development to proceed unless there is a harmful element to it. However, in Green Belts all development is considered inappropriate and therefore harmful. But, although it may seem that they are established to prevent any development, this isn't the case. Can [GreenBelt Land](https://cleararchitects.co.uk/green-belt-land/) solve the problems that are inherent in this situation? ## Landscape Character In good design, form and function have always lived together. Today's cities are crammed with layers of different styles and designs. Our structures are a way for us to see who we were and admire who we are becoming. The mother of art is architecture. Without an architecture of our own we have no soul of our own civilization. Most councils will only grant planning permission for new dwellings for agricultural, forestry or other rural workers in the Green Belt (including those taking majority control of a farm business) where an essential need to live permanently at or near the place of work has been demonstrated that clearly outweighs harm to the Green Belt through inappropriateness and any other harm. The development of gap sites in the green belt will not normally be acceptable in locations characterised by a scattering of houses or outbuildings/other buildings in the open countryside or where the development would result in the extension of an existing ribbon form of development or contribute to the coalescence with another building group. When considering proposals for the reuse of agricultural buildings for non-agricultural purposes, the Council will consider whether the proliferation of farm buildings constructed under permitted development rights could have a seriously detrimental effect on the openness of the Green Belt. In reality the Green Belt is far from the ring of rolling hills that some imagine: its boundaries were not drawn up with great consideration and in fine detail but with a broad brush which sweeps up some of the least green and least pleasant sites. Key design drivers for [New Forest National Park Planning](https://cleararchitects.co.uk/new-forest-national-park-planning/) tend to change depending on the context. Conserving natural resources, eliminating pollution, protecting biodiversity and going beyond the expected will contribute to climate positive development and buildings that enhance their settings and the people that experience them. A green belt architects' diligent approach to every detail means that you can focus on what you do best, knowing that all aspects of your planning process are receiving spotlight treatment. Green Belts continue to be threatened by development, decreasing the ability of this land to provide for nature, reduce the impacts of climate change, and people’s access to green spaces. As well as working on a range of developments within the Green Belt a core element of a specialist architect's experience is submitting planning applications and obtaining valuable planning permission for replacement dwellings and house extensions. When vetting green belt projects, some local councils prioritise high-quality design and ‘impact' rather than strict adherence to cubic volume; some councils are less prescriptive on outbuildings or extension sizes depending on the size of the plot, so local expertise is absolutely indispensable – otherwise applying is a bit of a shot in the dark. Designing around [Architect London](https://cleararchitects.co.uk/architect-london/) can give you the edge that you're looking for. ## A Growing Number Of Building Projects On Green Belt Land The main aim of Green Belts is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open; the essential characteristics of Green Belts are their openness and their permanence. Due to their strategic nature Green Belts will have significance beyond a single local authority. Designing for the mental wellbeing of users and communities is especially important for buildings that are traditionally very functional in design. The Green Belt is both a zone and an edge: it can surround the city and separate urban corridors. By looking at the definitions of edge, strip and corridor we can understand the urban conditions that appear spatially within the Green Belt. You can check out supplementary insights regarding Green Belt Architectural Practices at this [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_belt_(United_Kingdom)) entry. ## Related Articles: [Supplementary Findings About Green Belt Architectural Companies](https://v4.phpfox.com/blog/9241/london-architects/) [Supplementary Findings About Green Belt Architects And Designers](https://www.micromentor.org/question/17337 ) [Extra Findings On Green Belt Architectural Consultants](https://code.datasciencedojo.com/harriettepennison/henriettana/wikis/architects ) [More Findings About Architectural Designers](https://www.startartikel.nl/forum/topic/8150/london-architects/) [More Information On Green Belt Architects And Designers](https://www.butik.copiny.com/question/details/id/800625 ) [Further Insight With Regard To Architects](https://docs.gifs.com/discuss/65b677e203211a00674ecc26 ) [Further Insight On Green Belt Architectural Practices](https://portal.professionalstandards.org.uk/forums/general-discussion/25f2fc9a-eebd-ee11-92bc-6045bdd25bf1)