why does the london green belt remain so important?

Simmons explains the London England Green Belt's enduring value and success, but highlights the challenges it now faces in maintaining its importance in the future. A recent claim by the CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) that there has been a notable increase nationally in the use of Green Belt land for building has aroused interest. The current situation in some key London Green Belt local planning authorities illustrates how far the use of exceptional circumstances to justify boundary changes in National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) terms is being taken, while adhering to the purposes of the Green Belt. Evidence is, however, emerging that some local planning authorities wholly within the Green Belt are unable to meet their housing needs without contravening the NPPF principles and, where co-operation is not available (and mindful of lack of infrastructure capacity), are putting forward lower targets.