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Green Belt

Volume 406: debated on Wednesday 4 June 2003

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To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which cities have green belts; how large they were in 1997; what area they cover now; and what plans he has to enlarge green belt land. [115154]

In 1997, the area covered by the 14 green belts in England was:

Hectares
Tyne and Wear53,000
York35,400
South and West Yorkshire251,300
North West249,500
Stoke-on-Trent44,100
Nottingham and Derby62,000
Burton and Swadlincote700
West Midlands229,800
Cambridge26,700
Gloucester and Cheltenham7,000
Oxford35,000
London514,300
Avon68,400
SW Hampshire and SE Dorset82,300
Total1,649,500
The Government remains committed to the protection of green belts. Since 1997, over 30,000 hectares has been added to the green belt. Our objective is to continue to maintain or increase the area of green belt land in each English region. The general extent of green belt will continue to be a matter for Regional Planning Guidance, with local planning authorities setting the precise boundaries.