A greenbelt field is set to be bulldozed to make way for nearly 200 homes, despite its planning application being rejected by a council three times and being thrown out by the High Court.
The land in Radlett, Hertfordshire, has now been given the go-ahead for 195 homes under Labour's so-called "grey belt" rules.
The plans from developer Fairfax Properties were rejected by the council, which was upheld by the planning inspector. An appeal was dismissed by the High Court in July 2024.
But Fairfax resubmitted the proposals under the new grey belt rules, introduced by former Housing Secretary Angela Rayner to target previously-developed land which did not contribute to the aims of the greenbelt.
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The proposal was accepted under the grey belt rules, despite the inspector admitting the development would harm the landscape, character and appearance of the area.
Sir Oliver Dowden, the former Deputy Prime Minister and local MP, said he was "disappointed" in the planning inspector's decision.
He told the Mail: "This land was patently green belt."
The Tory MP said the "only reason" the development had been approved was because of "Labour’s fiction of the 'grey belt'".
"Across Hertsmere and the rest of the country, large tracks of pristine Green Belt are being redesignated by developers as 'grey belt' and fast-tracked to being built on," he added.
The plans to develop Radlett had been ongoing since 2021.
Sir Oliver Dowden said the approval had only gone through thanks to 'Labour’s fiction of the grey belt'
|HOUSE OF COMMONS
Paul Sennett, 63, has lived in the town for 35 years, and said the inspector "ignored local wishes" by allowing the development to go through.
"Democracy is doomed if this is how things are going to be done," he said.
And 27-year resident Angela Thomson said she did not understand how the grey belt rules applied to the grassy field.
"To my knowledge it has remained undeveloped for decades and is essentially a green field," she said.
Aldenham Parish Council said it was "greatly disappointed" by the decision and said the change was a "significant shift for our local landscape".
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Angela Rayner introduced the greenbelt rules which have allowed the land to be developed
| PAA Fairfax Properties spokesman said it welcomed the inspector's decision, adding the development would be "high-quality" and "sustainable".
It said it would make a "positive contribution" to the town, with plans including almost 100 affordable homes.
Research from CPRE, the countryside charity, revealed 88 per cent of grey belt developments were previously undeveloped countryside.
In April 2024, Sir Keir Starmer described they grey belt as "poor-quality scrubland, mothballed on the outskirts of town".
But CPRE's chief executive said in December the definition of grey belt was "vague, subjective and misleading to the public".
PICTURED: The plans for the new homes in Radlett
|FAIRFAX PROPERTIES
The charity said 1,250 homes will be built on undeveloped countryside as a result of the grey belt policy.
A Ministry of Housing spokesman said it did not comment on individual cases but added '"all areas must play their part to help us build 1.5million homes that this country needs".
"Our major planning reforms will help ensure more homes are built in the right places for communities and not at the expense of the environment."
A spokeswoman for Hertsmere Council said the authority was "very disappointed" that its decision was not upheld but added the Planning Inspectorate was "an independent appellate body that considers the application afresh based on the evidence presented to it".