LPAs must consider whether a development would create an unacceptable impact on highway safety (National Planning Policy Framework – NPPF)

Planning authorities must consider whether a development causes unacceptable environmental harm.

In this context , SUSTAINABILITY means :

● is this community self-sustaining ? 

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CONNECTIVITY means:

● can the population travel to these other places without having to go by car ?

● are there other viable travel methods e.g. train , bus , cycle , walkways ?

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear: most development in the Green Belt is inappropriate.

Over‑development is fundamentally about putting too much on too small a plot.

Developers are not neutral — they are commercial actors

Developers exist to:

• maximise profit

• minimise cost

• secure planning permission

That doesn’t make them “bad”, but it does mean their incentives are not aligned with residents or the environment. Their planning statements are marketing documents, not objective assessments.

So the planning system treats their claims with caution — and so should we.