Introduction
The separate spatial classification of ‘urban’ and ‘rural’ areas dates back to the industrialisation of the UK during the 19th century. At this stage ‘nature’ was relegated to the countryside (Murdoch and Lowe 2003). Although this classification was cultural during the 19th century, during the 20th century this spatial classification process became political and separated urban from rural. This became a fundamental element of the British land-use planning system from an early stage (ibid). This is an early example of the urban-rural divide.
Cultural conceptions of nature (that extol the virtues of the countryside), practices of industrial development (that focus upon the urban realm), political forms of environmentalism (which seek to contain the urban) and modern systems of government (which draw upon planning and other modes of governmental expertise), all play their part in ‘naturalizing’ urban–rural divisions.”
(Murdoch and Lowe 2003: 328)
In England and Wales the Town and Country Planning Act (1947) was hailed as a great victory for those with an interest in protecting the countryside from urbanisation i.e. industrial development and housing pressure in particular (Woods 2007). This Act paved the way for the first greenbelt to be designated around London in 1947 (ibid).
Interactive map:
England's green belt
In the aftermath of the 1947 Act, a circular was issued to all planning departments in urban areas. It asked them to formally consider the zoning of greenbelts. The rationale was that they were to help halt the physical growth of urban areas into the countryside, to prevent separate urban areas merging into each other and retain the special character of towns (Cullingworth and Nadin 2006). As a result the London designation was followed shortly thereafter by the establishment of further greenbelts around all the UK’s major cities and conurbations.
