The Green Belt
The affected land at Stoke Poges lies entirely within the Metropolitan Green Belt, a national designation created to protect open countryside from urban sprawl.
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Government policy makes it clear that development in the Green Belt is considered inappropriate unless very special circumstances can be demonstrated. The purposes of the Green Belt are to:
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prevent neighbouring towns from merging,
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safeguard the countryside from encroachment,
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preserve the setting and character of historic towns, and
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encourage the recycling of previously developed land.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF, Section 13) sets out these protections. Local planning authorities, including Buckinghamshire Council, are legally bound to apply them when considering applications.
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Outdoor (not indoor!) sport and recreation are allowed within the Green Belt, but only on strict conditions:
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facilities must preserve the openness of the land,
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buildings must be limited to those essential for outdoor sport (such as changing rooms or equipment storage), and
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the use must be genuinely public and community-serving, not private or exclusive.
In practice, this means that large-scale building projects—such as enclosed sports complexes, domes, academies, or commercial facilities—fall outside what is permitted and would almost certainly be refused unless exceptional justification could be proven.
Recent planning appeals across Buckinghamshire and neighbouring authorities have consistently upheld Green Belt protection, underlining the fragile legal basis of the current development proposal.
For reference:
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National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) – Section 13: Protecting Green Belt land
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South Buckinghamshire Local Plan – including Green Belt Policies
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But there is more
Look at the map below, which comes from a report issued by The Buckinghamshire Authorities, named Buckinghamshire Green Belt Assessment. It assesses the value of Green Belt areas in preventing neighbouring towns and villages in all of Buckinghamshire from merging. Dark brown denotes highest value. Stoke Poges is entirely surrounded by dark brown areas, highest value Green Belt. The proposal by WWFC and the council attacks exactly that.
