Planning policy

Green Belt policy and why it matters here

Protecting Green Belt land is central to the campaign objection, because the site south of Chelmsford Road is part of the countryside setting that separates Ongar from further sprawl.

2026-03-09 • OCRRAG Campaign Team • 4 min read

The campaign position is straightforward. Green Belt land should not be released for speculative development simply because it is commercially attractive to a developer.

Residents are arguing that once countryside on the edge of Ongar is lost, it is lost for good. The effect is not limited to one field. It changes the town's boundary, its landscape character, and the expectation of where building can go next.

OCRRAG is also calling for brownfield and grey land to be prioritised first, so development pressure does not default to open countryside and farmland.

Green Belt Policy Countryside