Scottish Green Belts Alliance

2004 research study on Scottish green belts

The Scottish Executive had sponsored research on green belts, to assess the operation and application of the present policy, and advise on changes. Findings from the research include:

• Green belts are perceived as important by the public and found valuable by planners in shaping and managing urban growth, but there are clearly differences of understanding of the role of green belts by different groups and across different parts of the country.
• Green belts are widely seen as a long term, even permanent, form of protection from development, but the reality in Scotland is that they have had much re-designation and development.
• Green belts should be seen as a tool of long-term planning, not just as a 'land bank' to meet future housing needs, as some local authorities appear to view them
• There is a general expectation that today's green belts will involve environmental and recreational improvements such as parks or cycle paths, but this needs to be better managed in practice.
• Concerns regarding 'leap-frogging' of green belts have resulted in increasing diversity in the shape of belts with green buffers, wedges or networks being viewed more favourably.
• There is little hard evidence that green belts contribute to town 'cramming', squeezing out urban green space or suburban housing.

The research was based on a project carried out for the Scottish Executive by G.Bramley, C.Hague, K.Kirk, A.Prior, J.Raemaekers, H.Smith (Heriot-Watt University), A.Robinson, R.Bushnell (Robinson Associates).

See Our view on research.
Also see 04/05 Exec review of green belts.

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