London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has announced plans to “actively explore” the possibility of building on some of London’s green belt land in an effort to tackle the city’s escalating housing crisis. At the same time, London is under acute pressure to increase its housing stock. To address this unprecedented demand, the city has adopted a challenging goal of building 88,000 new residences annually. Development efforts are largely aimed at these brownfield sites, which have produced on average only an additional 40,000 new homes each year.
Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan’s draft strategic housing plan would see some stretches of London’s green belt territory made available for building provided certain safeguards were used. These unsafe conditions are made worse by a lack of affordable housing and energy efficiency. They equally demand better transport connections and access to nature. The mayor believes that allowing development in these areas could “unlock hundreds of thousands of good-quality new homes for Londoners.”
In the past, the green belt acted as a buffer against encroaching development. As Khan notes, almost all of this land is bad quality and lacking maintenance. He pointed out that only 13% of London’s green belt is made up of true parks and areas open to public access.
“The green belt can often be low-quality land, poorly maintained and rarely enjoyed by Londoners. Only around 13% is made up of parks and areas that the public can access.” – Sir Sadiq Khan
Although this is an exciting new direction, Khan has been met with overwhelming criticism. He was absolutely categorical that he wouldn’t accept any moves onto green belt. Brownfield sites He thought construction should only happen on already developed brownfield sites. Advocates and critics alike are criticizing the proposal. Campaigners such as Carol Fisk from the Countryside charity CPRE point out that 300,000 planning permissions are still waiting to be built.
“Green belt is not the solution. There are many, many planning permissions outstanding, there are vast areas of brownfield land that haven’t been built on yet,” – Carol Fisk
Now in addition to Fisk’s concerns, her campaign comrades have raised a red flag about the possible social ramifications of this transition. Ben Twomey emphasized that the housing crisis is “forcing too many of us into poverty and homelessness,” stressing the urgent need for more affordable housing solutions.
The plans have received the uncharacteristic backing of other parts of the federal government. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner described Khan’s proposal as a “very bold proposal.” This single comment hints at a greater change in policy tide at the federal- and state-levels of government.
That opposition is quickly spreading among local activists, and just as quickly reaching the highest levels of political power. One prominent member of the London Assembly expressed deep disappointment. Gove is particularly incensed by Khan’s reported backtrack on the loss of the capital’s green belt, though. He claimed that the mayor had promised on several occasions that he would safeguard these crucial green spaces.
“We’re very disappointed that a mayor who has always been a staunch defender of the green belt throughout his mayoralty has made this u-turn,” – Carol Fisk
Boff blasted the announcement as “shameless.” He referred to it as a “total betrayal of those promises” made to the Londoners who love their green spaces.
Enfield is at a significant risk with these new plans. The development of 3,700 homes at Vicarage Farm has proved to be a major flashpoint in this controversy. Local residents and conservationists have lamented the impact on local wildlife and the ability for community members to access natural areas.
