Green Belt Reform Act 2020

Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, in accordance with the provisions of the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Definition of "agricultural land"

1. Land is recognized as being agricultural if:
   1. It is being used primarily for the purpose of raising crops meant to be harvested or left fallow.
   2. It does not have a substantial level of biodiversity.
2. Land is considered "biodiverse" if, after data collection and assessment by experts in ecology, its species or genetic biodiversity index is significant as decided by members of the panel.

2 Definition of "transit zone"

1. A A "transit zone" is the area of land determined by a panel of experts around a specific transit stop, to be determined on a case by case basis.
2. A "transit stop" can be a
1. Tube station
2. Rail station
3. Tram stop

3 Removal of Green Belt restrictions

1. Ordinances restricting construction of residential and commercial buildings shall be lifted on agricultural land within transit zones.
2. Upon passage of this law, the Secretary of State shall undertake a survey of all existing transit zones and determine which land within the transit zones are agricultural, and thus may have restrictions lifted, by consulting a panel of experts.
3. Upon the completion of a new transit stop, the Secretary shall undertake a survey of its corresponding transit zone, consulting a panel of experts, and determine which areas in the new transit zone may have restrictions lifted.
4. Upon completion of the initial survey, the Secretary of State shall make public a map of areas for which restrictions may be lifted.
5. The Secretary shall update the map with further areas where restrictions may be lifted upon the completion of subsequent surveys.
6. Upon the completion of a survey, the Secretary of State shall send reports to the local councils and planning authorities detailing which areas in their jurisdiction they recommend to have restrictions lifted. The local authority must approve or reject the Secretary of State's proposal within 30 days of receiving the report.
   1. If the local authority approves the proposal, the land designated by the report shall have restrictions on residential and commercial businesses lifted.
   2. If the local authority rejects the proposal, the Secretary of State may bring an amended proposal to the local authority for approval, which the local authority must approve or reject within 30 days of receiving said proposal.

4 Qualifications and Appointment of Members of the Panel

1. It is suggested that the people who are selected for the panel will be members of authority that have degrees in Ecology, Environmental Studies, Transit, and Urban Planning, and are from all areas of society.
2. The Secretary shall have discretion to determine how many experts are needed for the panel to promptly complete its work.
3. The members of the panel must first be sourced from the scientific staff currently employed by the civil service.
4. If the Secretary determines that they are unable to source a sufficient number of experts internally, they may hire outside experts for the task.
5. Outside experts hired for the panel shall be compensated at Staff Grade 4.
6. Experts hired from within the civil service shall be compensated at their previous grade if the previous grade was Staff Grade 4 or higher. They shall be compensated at Staff Grade 4 if their previous grade was lower.

5 Housing Restrictions in New Developments

1. There can be no low density housing or factories developed in the areas of the Green Belt.
   1. Low density housing is defined as being below 30 dwellings/hectare.
   2. Factories are defined as places that manufacture goods that are made via unskilled labour, via automation or by more than five people.
2. These new developments will be encouraged to be Car Free Zones, with incentives mandated by the Secretary of State at their discretion.
1. All houses constructed in this new development shall be barred from having a driveway.
3. All developments must have plans for local community centres and recreational activities.
4. All developments must have a working plan for sustainable energy use and a report on minimising carbon emissions.
5. A panel of experts will be formed to implement Housing Restrictions in the New Developments to promote sustainability, minimal carbon emissions, and ways to ensure the development has net negative or net neutral effect on carbon emissions and carbon capture over the current status of extant Green Belt land.
6. The panel shall consist of those who have obtained Doctorates of Philosophy in their respective fields, and have work experience in said fields.
7. The panel must include, but not be limited to, those in the field of climate science, ecology, engineering, urban development, infrastructure, and transportation.
8. The panel shall be selected by the Secretary of State, who shall determine the number thereof, and the members of the panel must first be sourced from the staff currently employed by the civil service.
9. If the Secretary determines that they are unable to source a sufficient number of experts internally, they may hire outside experts for the task.
10. Outside experts hired for the panel shall be compensated at Staff Grade 4.
11. Experts hired from within the civil service shall be compensated at their previous grade if the previous grade was Staff Grade 4 or higher. They shall be compensated at Staff Grade 4 if their previous grade was lower.
12. The ground floor of all buildings constructed in these new developments must be reserved for commercial or residential development, with a density of commercial establishments being at least 25% of all ground floor construction.

6 Amenities and Further Restrictions

1. In each of these new developments, on either side of the aforementioned transit stop, there shall be funding allocated for the construction of a public park to ensure recreational activities for new residents in the new developments.
2. Car parks, both at level and multi-level, shall be prohibited from being constructed in the new development.
3. Roadways within the development must be wide enough to accommodate local vehicle and bus traffic, as well as parking spaces for residents on the sides of the road.
1. This shall not apply for the frontage area of ground floor units zoned for commercial activities, to ensure that parked cars do not obstruct the view of the commercial activity.
4. All roadways must be installed with two-lane bike lanes.

7 Bus Transit Provisions

1. Within the New Development, land may be allocated for the construction of a bus depot, to act as a local mass transit system.
1. The stops shall included, but are not limited to, the transit stop as defined in Section 2, any local recreational facilities, and regions of major shopping activity.
2. Roads will be required to facilitate a bus lane in either direction.
3. All buses in the New Development must be of a clean energy source, and cannot be powered primarily or secondarily by fossil fuels.
4. The local authority shall have control over this new transit method.

8 Short title, commencement and extent

1. This Act may be cited as the Green Belt Reform Act 2020.
2. The Act comes into force on royal assent.
3. This Act extends to the whole United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.