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I recently watched a YouTube video about the application of London Green Belt Architects and would dearly like to share what I noted from it with you in this blog post.

Applications for planning permission will be determined in accordance with national planning policy and guidance on flood risk. When considering proposals where flood risk is an issue, the Council will seek to secure an overall reduction in flood risk, wherever possible. Development will only be permitted where it will not be at an unacceptable risk of flooding on the application site itself, and there would be no unacceptable increase of flood risk elsewhere. As the realities of climate change become increasingly apparent, more people are looking to improve the sustainability of their homes and work places. Planning permission in the green belt will not usually be granted for development on land that is used, or was last used, as open space. This includes: Parks and Gardens, including Country Parks; Natural and Semi-Natural Green Space; Amenity Green Space; Play Provision for Children and Young People; and Outdoor Sport Facilities, including School Playing Fields. There are different options for the future of the Green Belt that do not destroy it, but rather accommodate it in a different relationship with the city. In the context of rapid and potentially disastrous climate change, the Green Belt offers a reservoir of potential. There are certain types of development which can be considered to be acceptable in Green Belt locations, as they do not conflict with the purpose of including land within the Green Belt. Such exceptions can include but are limited to the replacement of a building within the same use or the re-use of an existing building, agricultural or forestry development, infill development, outdoor recreation, affordable housing and extensions which are not considered disproportionate. The general extent of Green Belts across the country is already established. New Green Belts are only established in exceptional circumstances, for example when planning for larger scale development such as new settlements or major urban extensions.

London Green Belt Architects

Architects that specialise in the green belt have an open and progressive design approach committed to creating socially sustainable and joyful buildings, places and spaces. Green belt architects guide your project through every part of the process, from your initial consultation to successful completion. Whether you need them to obtain planning permission for a new build house in an existing garden, are looking to develop a commercial property or want architectural design and plans for your house extension, you can rely on them. Having met the highest standards of education, many green belt architects are accountable to an independent Code of Professional Conduct which underpins membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). For our green belts to serve us better, we must first serve them better, by not just grudgingly accepting them, but through a process of better defining and celebrating the border between rural and urban – of finding and enjoying our limits. Key design drivers for Green Belt Land tend to change depending on the context.

A Missed Development Opportunity?

There shall be presumption in favour of the conversion and sympathetic extension/alteration of traditional buildings and those of a local vernacular to residential use or a use appropriate to the Green Belt and rural area. Practice and policy can vary greatly from one local authority to another. A green belt architect's experience of advising several local planning authorities enables us to provide detailed and clear advice on the planning procedure, costs and timescales – often with the benefit of pre-application advice. Green belt architects design new buildings and the spaces around them, and work on the restoration and conservation of existing buildings in green belt areas. Government guidance and local plans do allow for certain limited development to take place in the Green Belt. These are mostly either developments considered to be essential, or that help to achieve the aims of the Green Belt. Spend some time observing how architecture reflects culture, and you’ll get the sense that it’s less of a profession and more of a world-view, a lens with which to interpret all of your surroundings. As such, it lends itself to so many visually creative mediums that call for the conceptualizing of space—graphic design, video production, film, etc. Conducting viability appraisals with Architect London is useful from the outset of a project.

A growing number of green belt architects always aim to challenge sustainability thinking and aspirations within the project team, promoting understanding and exploring opportunities and new approaches. Sustainability is a comprehensive concept that is linked to a building’s congregated ability to provide a healthy, comfortable, and productive habitat without negatively impacting the environment whilst considering the state of future generations. To many residents, familiar with receiving a letter in the post or spotting a site notice on a lamppost as their first point of involvement in the planning process, the Government proposes a fundamental modernisation of the way in which the public engages in development decisions. Confusingly, the name ‘green belt’ conjures up a vision of a pastoral idyll – England’s green and pleasant land. And whilst this might be true of an area in an AONB or a National Park there are in fact plenty of scruffy and unsightly brownfield sites that are located in the green belt. Green belts have been attacked for failing to meet their purposes by a range of vested interests, who’ve proposed a range of different ideas in response. Greenfield sites, including green belt, are increasingly favoured by developers as they are cheaper to exploit than brownfield sites which have much higher transaction costs. Following up on Net Zero Architect effectively is needed in this day and age.

The Service Of A Green Belt Architect

A degree of permanence and continuity is an essential requirement in policy making. If the market senses that policy will be relaxed, development is likely to be deferred. This applies especially to Green Belts, where granting a residential consent might increase the value of the land by a factor of 250 times from its agricultural value. Green Belt would be better defined as being structured by well managed Green Ways: pathway, woodland, park, trail, green system, park system, green industry- following natural or human made routes. The problems experienced by developers seeking to build on green belt land has prompted reflections about strategic approaches to development proposals. Because developing in the green belt is a challenge, it is important proposals are put forward in a way that gives them the best chance of success. The London Metropolitan Green Belt now comprises 153,860 hectares of land covering parts of London and eight adjacent counties. However, there is a growing recognition among some planners, developers and politicians that Green Belt policy is having unintended consequences. A green belt architect's strength is the exceptional skills and broad range of experience held by each member. Being a part of a multi-disciplinary practice, they have close working relationships with the other departments that allows immediate dialogue between teams. Thanks to justification and design-led proposals featuring Green Belt Planning Loopholes the quirks of Green Belt planning stipulations can be managed effectively.

While a couple of houses in the countryside is very difficult to achieve, one can be slightly easier. (That’s easier - but far from easy). That’s because the National Planning Policy Framework has a clause – clause e) of Paragraph 79 – for one-off isolated homes. The catch is that they have to be ‘of exceptional quality’ and ‘innovative or outstanding.’ In some people's view, the Green Belt is generally uninspiring or unremarkable and is characterised as derelict and underused land given over to horse grazing or containing ‘bad neighbour’ development such as motorways, pylons or quarries. When replacing a dwelling, planners typically start by looking at the existing rather than the original home in determining whether a scheme is ‘materially larger. There is potentially more scope compared to extending within the Green Belt but external footprint, volume, scale and massing, the character of the area etc. will still be considered. Valued landscapes should be protected and enhanced; looking for net gains in biodiversity and establishing coherent ecological networks that are more resilient to current and future pressures, including wildlife corridors and stepping stones that connect them and areas identified by local partnerships for habitat restoration or creation. The fundamental aim of green belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open, and consequently the most important attribute of green belts is their openness. These areas that are kept in reserve for an open space, are most often found around larger cities. A well-thought-out strategy appertaining to New Forest National Park Planning can offer leaps and bounds in improvements.

Functional Elements

Architecture is a team-working process and rarely a lone activity. There is always a client and there is always an interpreter of that client's needs. The relationship between client and architect is fundamental, and the establishment of a professional and trusting relationship between the two is the bedrock of every successful project. Architects will need to come up with creative solutions for reducing waste production from their designs, as well as improving green transportation infrastructure to make living greener lifestyles easier than ever before. Large areas of hills, valleys, fields and forests in the UK are not in the Green Belt. These might be covered by other designations – Areas of Natural Beauty, National Parks, etc – or are simply counted as agricultural land or open countryside. It can be just as difficult or even harder building on any of those types of land, so please don’t regard anything outside of the Green Belt as easy pickings. One can unearth additional information about London Green Belt Architects on this House of Commons Library web page.

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