Green belt land
Summary
According to Green Belt statistics published by the the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government the Lancashire 12-authority area contained around 69,670 hectares (ha) or 696.7 km2 designated as 'Green Belt' in 2023/24, or approximately 24% of the land area. A substantial proportion of the Green Belt land in the Lancashire-12 area is designated in West Lancashire (44.5%), where it covers 90% of the district, owing to the large amount of top grade farmland.
At a national level, there have been changes in fifteen authorities in England (of which nine were in Greater Manchester) as a result of adoption of, or changes to, development, allocation or local plans or core strategies. The net result is a decrease of 3,540 hectares in the total Green Belt land figure for England compared to 2022/23. In 2023/24, the Green Belt covered 1,634,760 hectares (16,348 km2) or 12.5% of England's total land area.
The nine Greater Manchester authorities, which cover all of the former metropolitan county except Stockport, share in the the Places for everyone development plan. The total reduction in green belt area was 2,190 hectares amongst these authorities, with 570 hectares removed in Bury and 490 in Rochdale. The neighbouring West Yorkshire authorities of Leeds and Wakefield were among the 15 affected. The reduction in Wakefield was 600 ha of green belt, the largest reduction for any authority. Warrington and Welwyn Hatfield both saw over 300 ha removed.
The only authority in Lancashire to have officially changed its Green Belt land area was Blackburn with Darwen, where 40 hectares was removed from the local plan. See figure 2 for a map of green belt affected. There was a decrease of 10 hectares in West Lancashire, but no explanation was given for this. As the figures are rounded to the nearest ten a reduction of under ten ha might result in there appearing to be no difference between the 2023 and 2024 totals.
Table 1: Area of designated Green Belt land, 2023/24 and annual change 22/23–23/24
| Area | Area (hectares) | Change from 2022/23 (hectares) |
|---|---|---|
| Burnley | 1,050 | |
| Chorley | 14,550 | |
| Fylde | 1,750 | |
| Hyndburn | 3,990 | |
| Lancaster | 1,540 | |
| Pendle | 2,040 | |
| Preston | 660 | |
| Ribble Valley | 1,720 | |
| Rossendale | 3,060 | |
| South Ribble | 7,260 | |
| West Lancashire | 31,010 | -10 |
| Wyre | 680 | |
| Lancashire-12 | 69,670 | |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 5,240 | -40 |
| Blackpool | 60 | |
| Lancashire-14 | 74,970 | -40 |
| England | 1,634,760 | -3,540 |
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government– Local Planning Authority Green Belt Statistics: England, 2023/24
Figures of green belt land totals for the regions are available in the appendix tables below.
Green belts have been an enduring element of national planning policy and enjoy a high level of public understanding and support, although the dangers of overly- tight containment policies on housing and economic development are well recognized. Green belts are characterized by their degree of openness and permanence: once designated, they are intended to be maintained and sustainable as far as can be planned ahead and only be altered in exceptional circumstances.
The first official proposal to provide a reserve supply of public open spaces and of recreational areas and to establish a green belt or girdle of open space was made by the Greater London Regional Planning Committee in 1935. New provisions in the 1947 Town and Country Planning Act allowed local authorities to incorporate green belt proposals into their first development plans. The codification of green belt policy and its extension to areas other than London came in 1955 with a circular inviting local planning authorities to consider the establishment of green belts.
Section nine of the National Planning Policy Framework mentions the current policy on protecting the green belt land. It states that green belt serves five purposes:
- to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas;
- to prevent neighbouring towns from merging into one another;
- to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment;
- to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns;
- to assist in urban regeneration by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land.
The general extent of green belt across Lancashire was defined in the late 1970s/early 1980s and the reasons for the definition still by and large endure. Within the Lancashire sub-region, 74,970 hectares are designated Green Belt, covering around a quarter of the total land area and representing 4.6% of the England total. Some parts of every single Lancashire authority, including highly urbanised Blackpool, have been designated as Green Belt but coverage is particularly large in Chorley, South Ribble and especially West Lancashire.
Previous changes to Green Belt land extent in Lancashire
This year's small change of -40 hectares in Blackburn with Darwen follows a very minor change of -10 hectares in Blackpool in 2023, which followed a small reduction of -50 hectares in Rossendale in 2022 and a more major change of -200 hectares in Lancaster in 2021. Prior to that the only statistics in quite some time when there were any significant changes in any of the Lancashire-14 authorities, were during 2015/16 and only then affecting three authorities: Blackburn with Darwen (-290 hectares), South Ribble (-40 ha) and Pendle (-40 ha). The areas of Green Belt prior to this in these authority areas were 5,550 ha in Blackburn with Darwen, 7,810 ha in South Ribble and 2,070 ha in Pendle.
Change to methodology
A methodological change was introduced for the 2019/20 release providing general improvements to mapping accuracy, boundary definitions and area calculations. The area of land designated as Green Belt for each Local Authority was previously calculated by local authorities but is now calculated by MHCLG using the digital Green Belt boundary files provided by the local authorities. The Local Authority Green Belt boundaries are mapped against ONS Local Authority District (Mean High Water mark) boundaries for the corresponding period. This results in greater accuracy in the delimiting of land designated as Green Belt where it meets coastal or estuarine areas and ensures a consistent national approach.
To read the background information, click anywhere on the above panel to expand the section.
Figure 1: Designated areas of green belt in the Lancashire-14 area
Additional maps
Figure 1. Green belt land in the Lancashire-14 area (large PDF version 987 KB)
Figure 2. Green belt land removed at Junction 5 of M65 motorway for Strategic Employment Area (Policy E179) (PDF 670 KB)
Appendix: tables: Lancashire/regional (11 KB)
Page updated August 2025