Hands Off Our Land: I will not allow building on the green belt, says Eric Pickles Mr Pickles will also announce new powers to allow for councils literally to stop travellers" caravans from setting up illegal camps. He will say that "new instant stop notices will allow councils unlimited fines for those who ignore planning rules and defy the law. We will stand by law-abiding citizens who play by the rules and use the full force of the law against those who play the system. The comments about the green belt will delight campaigners who have been preparing for a major battle with the Government over planning this autumn. The Economic Development Bill had been expected to propose weakening green belt protections to encourage more building. In his first outing in the Commons as planning minister Nick Boles MP did little to reassure campaigners by saying the green belt was only safe "for now." Friends later said that he had not meant to sound any alarm with his comments. The Daily Telegraph understands that the draft legislation only includes a handful of clauses relating to planning, dealing mainly with proposals to accelerate planning inquiries and allowing ministers to intervene more often. Ministers are unwilling to reignite the row over the new National Planning Policy Framework, which was amended to protect greenfield sites after a campaign by groups like the National Trust in April. The Daily Telegraph also demanded a rethink through its Hands Off Our Land campaign. Analysis last month showed they were 400,000 plots across England and Wales with planning permission for work to start - enough to last for three and a half years. In the five months since the framework was published framework came in 85,000 building schemes have been given the green light - 10,000 more than in the five months before the rule change.