Green belt or grey belt row brewing over new homes

Mark O'Malley is co-ordinating a group protesting against planned houses in Crosshill

When a new planning application to build 80 new homes on a small green field near Crosshill in Derbyshire was submitted, Mark O'Malley was already prepared.

He had been keeping protest placards safe in his garage since 2019, when he was part of a group which objected to proposals to remove the land from Amber Valley's green belt.

The group's campaign was ultimately successful and the land was kept in the green belt.

But housebuilder Wheeldon Brothers has now applied to build 80 homes on the site, along with 200 more on fields south of nearby Kilburn - saying it would like both to be designated "grey belt" sites.

A total of 80 homes have been proposed for land at Crosshill near Ripley

The "grey belt" is a concept introduced to the public in 2024 by senior government ministers charged with tackling a shortage of UK homes and driving economic growth.

The idea is that parts of the green belt are of "poor quality and ugly" and should therefore be considered suitable for development.

Official guidance has since been issued which states land can be designated grey belt if it "does not strongly contribute" to three of the main purposes of the green belt, which are to stop towns merging, prevent urban sprawl and protect historic towns.

Angela Rayner said grey belt sites should be "disused garages for example or car parks" and it was "not the rolling hills of Suffolk that we're building on" during her tenure as Secretary of State for Housing.

Plans for 200 homes have been submitted for fields at Kilburn

Mr O'Malley believes the land he is campaigning about does not fit the profile for grey belt land.

"My understanding of grey belt is the land has to be derelict. This is not derelict. It's even cut twice a year to provide hay," he said.

And Andy Vallans, believes the site in Kilburn makes a valid contribution to the green belt too.

He said: "It's got a vast amount of nature... there's all sorts of animals you'd expect to see in a nice rural environment."

The campaigners told the BBC they accept the need for more homes, but insist Amber Valley Borough is already planning enough houses to play its part.

Protest signs have gone up over development plans at Horsley Road near Kilburn

However, the government has said it remains committed to building 1.5 million new homes in England by 2029.

And the concept of the grey belt already seems to have had an impact since it was defined in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which guides councils as they compile a local plan of sites suitable for development.

A report by the planning firm Marrons found so far in 2025, since the new NPPF came in, 57% of all green belt plans that went to appeal were passed compared to 25% in 2024.

Richard Pigott, planning director at the Derby-based Planning and Design Practice said: "We were surprised. The grey belt policy in the NPPF definitely opened up more land for potential development than I or many others would have anticipated."

Councils are set to be given funding to review their green belt so they can say which land should be given the new grey belt classification.

Until then, builders can make their own arguments about which land should be used for building.

The consultation on Amber Valley's new local plan closes on 14 October and planners are optimistic it will be fully in place by Christmas 2025.

Wheeldon Brothers said it did not comment on planning applications.