Order!

Our last item of business today is a Motion Debate on SM186, in the name of the Scottish Labour Party. The question is whether this Parliament approves the Motion to abolish the Green Belt.

Motion to abolish the Green Belt

This Parliament notes that—

(1) The Scottish Planning Policy 2010 designated large areas in Scotland as being green belt.

(2) The green belt creates a presumption against development.

(3) The Scottish Ministers can designate an area as being a National Scenic Area if that area is of outstanding scenic value in a national context.

(4) A National Scenic Area is subject to special protection measures to safeguard or enhance its character or appearance.

(5) A planning authority can designate an area of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance, as a conservation area.

(6) A planning authority must pay special attention to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of a conservation area.

(6) Scottish Natural Heritage must designate any land which is of special interest by reason of any of its natural features as a site of special scientific interest.

(7) In a site of special scientific interest, those using the land should conserve or enhance the natural feature designated as being of special interest.

(8) Planning authorities must prepare an open space strategy setting out their policies as to the development, maintenance and use of green and open spaces.

(9) The Scottish Ministers may by regulations make provision about how planning authorities are to discharge their functions with regards to their open space strategy.

This Parliament recognises that—

(1) The purpose of the green belt is not to protect the environment, but to restrict the number of houses being built and to limit the growth of certain conurbations.

(2) The green belt constrains the supply of housing in Scotland.

(3) Constraining the supply of housing leads to higher house prices and higher rents.

(4) Higher house prices and higher rents lead to higher rates of homelessness.

(5) The green belt therefore leads to higher house prices, higher rents, and higher rates of homelessness.

This Parliament therefore calls on the government to—

(1) Revise the Scottish Planning Policy to abolish the green belt.

(2) Ensure that areas of outstanding scenic value which are not currently designated as a National Scenic Area are designated as that.

(3) Revise the National Planning Framework to ensure that areas of special architectural or historic interest are designated as a conservation area.

(4) Revise the National Planning Framework to ensure that areas of scientific interest are designated as a site of special scientific interest.

(5) Exercise their powers under section 3G(5) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 to ensure that communities have adequate access to greenspace.

This motion was submitted by Sir LightningMinion MSP MP MLA CT KT CBE OM, Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, on behalf of the Scottish Labour Party.

Referenced legislation and documents:

Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997

Planning (Scotland) Act 2022

Part II of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997

Part 2 Chapter 1 of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004

Scottish Planning Policy 2010

Opening Speech:

Presiding Officer,

Scottish Labour promised to work to fix Scotland’s housing crisis. This is our first step in dealing with it. Many areas in and around urban areas, including here in Edinburgh, are designated as a green belt area, creating a presumption against development in the area. This constrains the local housing supply by reducing the areas in which a developer can build housing. This in turn pushes up house prices and rents, leading to homelessness and contributing to Scotland’s housing crisis. This is why, in this motion, we are calling on the government to use its planning powers to abolish the green belt.

There are however some areas where developments should be restricted, such as areas of natural beauty. The government can designate such areas as a National Scenic Area, and this motion calls on the government to use these powers to designate any scenic areas not currently designated as a National Scenic Area as one to ensure its scenic features are protected. Planning authorities, a role currently fulfilled by the Scottish Housing Agency, can also designate an area of architectural or historic interest as a Conservation Area, and the authority must then act to conserve or enhance the character or appearance of the area. Scottish Natural Heritage can designate areas which have some natural feature of interest for scientific reasons as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and those using land within an SSSI must then act to conserve or enhance the feature of interest. This motion calls upon the government to amend the National Planning Framework to ensure that the powers to designate Conservation Areas and SSSIs are used where necessary.

The Planning (Scotland) Act 2022 I authored conferred upon planning authorities the responsibility of preparing an Open Space Strategy, which sets out the authority’s approach to open and green spaces. This motion also calls on the government to use its powers under planning legislation to ensure that the Open Space Strategies prepared by planning authorities ensure that communities have adequate access to greenspaces.

Presiding Officer, this motion calls upon the government to abolish the green belt and release much-needed land in urban areas for development, while ensuring that land which is scenic, a greenspace, of historic or architectural importance, or land which is important for scientific and conservation reasons is protected from any developments which may be damaging to the area. I think this strikes a fair balance between the need to ensure land is available to build housing and the need to protect certain areas for environmental or historic reasons. I commend this motion to the Scottish Parliament.

This debate will end with the close of business at 10pm BST on the 10th of October.