Benfleet - CPRE Essex

Research shows most ‘grey-belt’ homes planned on unspoilt countryside

Tuesday 23 December 2025

New research from CPRE reveals that the government’s ‘grey belt’ policy is paving the way for large-scale development on England’s unspoilt rural landscapes – not, as ministers promised, unused car parks and derelict petrol stations. In December 2024, when the policy was introduced, the government gave ‘disused petrol stations’ and ‘abandoned car parks’ as examples […] Read more >

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