Tag: land

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Green Belt Areas: Everything You Need To Know

England’s 14 green belts cover around 12.4% of land in the country and provide a breath of fresh air for 30 million people. 

What is a green belt area?  

A green belt is a policy and land use zone designation used in land use planning. They retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas.  

There are three different types of land and they are:  

  • Brownfield – land that has been built on previously, but is now vacant or in need of redevelopment.  
  • Greenfield – land that has not been built on before (agricultural/grassland). 
  • Green belt – highly protected land with tight restrictions on development.  

Local planning authorities are extremely cautious about their green belt areas. This is because the purpose of one is to capture the fugitive emissions emanating from plant operations, alternate the noise generated and improve the aesthetic. 

New homes can be allowed in the green belt if they meet the need. And this exception only applies to specific policies in the local plan. And only then if the need for those homes is clearly demonstrated they will be able to live in a green belt area. Developers need to submit a case for very special circumstances in which the building would outweigh the resulting harm to the environment.  

How much does it cost to buy green belt land?  

The cost of the land largely depends on whether it has planning permission or not. Green belt land is usually cheap if it doesn’t have consent to build on. It is cheap because of the strong building restrictions. However, if the area has consent to build on it could sell for about £500,000 per acre. 

Green belts are intended to check further growth of large built-up areas such as London. This is because they need to prevent neighboring towns from merging into one another.

You definitely can’t overlook the benefits that green belts can offer for your health and wellbeing. For example, being in the countryside where it’s rich with nature, and there’s plenty of fresh air for everyone to enjoy. They also double up as local nature reserves. So, they work brilliantly for wildlife, allowing creatures to move between habitats safely and flourish in a mix of landscapes. 

Instead of viewing the Green Belts as a limitation to building more homes, we need to focus on restoring and enhancing the land. So, it can continue to provide a space for nature and a place to relax, play and grow our food. 

Hellerick – Own work

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Everything to know about Area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB)

What is an area of outstanding natural beauty?

An AONB is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. It is also protected by the countryside and rights of way act 2000 (CROW Act).

How are AONBs made?

Natural England can make orders to designate areas of outstanding natural beauty or vary the boundaries of existing ones. Before natural England proposes an area to become an AONB, it must meet the natural beauty criterion. This could be multiple different factors, such as:

Landscape quality.

Scenic quality.

Relative wildness, such as distance from housing or having few roads.

Natural heritage features, such as distinct species and habitat.

Relative tranquillity, where all you can hear is natural sounds.

Cultural heritage.

History –

The idea that would eventually become the AONB designation was first put forward by John Dower in 1945. Dower was a civil servant and architect, who was a secretary of the standing committee on national parks. Dower suggested there was a need for the protection of certain naturally beautiful landscapes that were unsuitable as national parks. They were usually unsuitable because of their small size and lack of wildness.

Can you build or renovate an area of outstanding natural beauty?

Before developing your property, it is important for you to know what rights you have as a property owner in an AONB. Because of the area, your permitted development rights may be reduced, and planning permission grants may become more uncommon.

Permitted development is a development that you can carry out without needing to apply for full planning permission. You may still need approval under other legislations.

You might be able to extend a house in an AONB under permitted development if you follow the rules, are some examples:

It must not go more than 4m beyond the rear wall of the property if it’s a detached house or 3m for any other dwelling.

Must not be more than 4m high.

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All the information you should know about agriculture

What is agriculture?  

Its the process of producing food, feed, fiber, and many other desired products by the cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals.  

Agriculture was the key development in the rise of human civilization, whereby the farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to live in cities.  

In addition, while other scientists, inventing and others devoted to improving farming methods are also said to be engaged in agriculture.  

What is agricultural land?  

Its the controlled use of other forms of life, particularly the rearing of livestock and the production of crops to produce food for humans. It is a synonym for both farmland and cropland.   

The origins of agriculture –  

The development of agriculture enabled the human population to grow larger. In addition, there is no single origin. A variety of plants and animals have been independently domesticated at different times, in numerous places. The first one appears to have developed at the closing of the last glacial period or ice age. 

Agritecture –  

Agritecture is about applying architectural thinking when designing for the built environment. Architects and urban farmers incorporate it into the surrounding city environment in very different ways.  

According to Henry Gordon Smith, one of the early advocates of agritecture. In addition, he describes it as the art, science, and business of integrating agriculture into cities.  

“Architecture can no longer stand in place, while climate changes. Architecture and urban planning can serve as a mitigator or hindrance to climate action. It is with this regard, that agriculture can start to respond. By integrating within architectural designs. Urban farming solutions and cities could address environmental, social, and economic challenges thus developing resilient food systems in the face of climate change. “  

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