Labour would give local areas the power to build houses on the green belt where development would not take away from the beauty of the countryside, the party leader has said.
Sir Keir Starmer signalled on Wednesday that reforms such as allowing for some development of green belt land would be introduced should his party win at the next general election.
The green belt refers to the policy of leaving an area of land around a city or town undeveloped or set aside for agricultural use to prevent urban sprawl.
Under planning rules in England, building on the green belt is generally not allowed unless in exceptional circumstances….