GBT1 Green Belt Boundaries Strategic Policy
There will be an area of Green Belt in Wirral. Its boundaries are as shown on the proposals map.
Reasoned justification :
7.1 The establishment of Green Belts around major cities has been promoted by the Government since the 1950's to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas, safeguard the surrounding countryside from further encroachment, prevent neighbouring towns from merging into one another, preserve the special character of historic towns and to assist in urban regeneration. Of these, the Green Belt in Wirral supports all except the preservation of the character of historic towns.
7.2 The present boundaries of the Green Belt in Wirral as proposed in the Merseyside Structure Plan, were established in December 1983. The justification remains as valid now as it was then, in that it supports the main UDP themes of:
- concentrating development and investment within the existing urban areas; and
- improving the quality of the environment in the most blighted areas whilst protecting the environment elsewhere in the Borough.
7.3 Recently there has been great pressure for urban development in Wirral's areas of countryside. A Green Belt has been considered, since the 1961 West Cheshire Green Belt, as essential to ensure that the countryside is protected from urban sprawl, and that settlements retain their individual identity.
7.4 Strategic Guidance for Merseyside restated the importance of Green Belt in Merseyside and concluded that there is no need for a general review but that the preparation of UDPs provides the opportunity to give precision to the detailed boundaries of the Green Belt where those have not yet been clearly defined.