Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Greenbelt expansion could cinch rural communities

Friday, April 13, 2018

London's Metropolitan Greenbelt faces rising pressure from developers

By Kate Ayers

London, England's Metropolitan Greenbelt is one of the world's oldest greenbelts.

The city established the land-use plan exactly 80 years ago through the Greenbelt Act.

The roots of this protected area extend even further, however, as Sir Ebenezer Howard, a British urban planner, formulated the idea in 1890, the London Greenbelt Council's website says. His vision of "garden cities" included a belt around cities to preserve rural land.

The Metropolitan Greenbelt occupies about 1.2 million acres and serves to curb the growth of London and surrounding neighbourhoods. It is the largest of England's 14 Greenbelts, covering 30 per cent of England's total greenbelt-protected land, a 2010 report by Natural England and the Campaign to Protect Rural England says.

image
    nyxmedia/iStock/Getty Images Plus photo

"The fundamental aim of the Greenbelt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open," the National Planning Policy Framework says.

Arable and horticultural land account for 39 per cent of the protected area, and 18 per cent is broadleaf or mixed leaf woodland. The Greenbelt also includes improved grassland, semi-natural grassland, and built up areas and gardens, the report says.

The protected areas help to ensure food security, soil protection, recreation and health promotion as well as ecosystem benefits, the London Green Belt Council's website says.

A booming real estate market in the area, however, has driven house prices up, meaning that many people cannot access affordable housing. Given these conditions, the Metropolitan Greenbelt faces the most pressure of all England's protected lands for urban development, the report says.

So, some stakeholders argue the country needs to change the Metropolitan Greenbelt, says a 2016 report conducted by the London School of Economics and Political Science. An effective approach would free up land for housing but would still protect the most valued features of the area.

Such a plan would "unfreeze housing supply in the region, enhance environmental sustainability and contribute to a coherent long-term form of spatial development across this vital region," the report says. BF

Current Issue

June/July 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Calf Auction Raises Funds for Youth

Monday, June 30, 2025

Wyatt Westman-Frijters from Milverton won a heifer calf named Ingrid through a World Milk Day promotion by Maplevue Farms and a local Perth, Ontario radio station. Instead of keeping the calf, 22-year-old Westman-Frijters chose to give back to the community. The calf was sent to the... Read this article online

Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility

Friday, June 27, 2025

Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online

Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost

Friday, June 27, 2025

The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online

Health Canada sets rules for drone spraying

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Health Canada has approved the use of drones, also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), for pesticide application under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Drones are considered aircraft by Transport Canada, but Health Canada treats them differently due to their unique... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top