To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recommendations on (a) review and (b) removal of green belt designations have been made in the panel reports on the regional spatial strategies for the (a) South East and (b) East Midlands. (174539)

A summary of the policies in the draft South East and East Midlands RSSs and Panel Reports relating to the reviews of green belts are as follows:

South East

Policy CCl0a, states that the existing green belt in the region will be retained and supported and the opportunity should be taken to improve their land-use management and access as part of initiatives to improve urban rural fringe. If there are any cases for small scale local review, these can be pursued through LDF process.

East Midlands

The panel report into the East Midlands regional spatial strategy, published on 28 November 2007 stated that the existing green belt which currently encircles Nottingham should be recast to protect only the area between Nottingham and Derby and therefore to remove areas north, east and south of Nottingham from the green belt. In reaching this conclusion the panel took into account the purposes and objectives of green belt in PPG2 and also the pressures for growth in and around the Nottingham conurbation.