London mayor to 'explore' building on green belt

Sir Sadiq Khan has announced plans to "actively explore" building on some of London's green belt in a bid to resolve the capital's housing crisis.

The mayor of London says current rules prohibiting development on green belt land are "wrong, out-of-date and simply unsustainable", as as the demand for housing increases.

In a "radical step-change" in approach, planners will consider releasing some stretches of the land if conditions on affordable housing, energy efficiency, transport links and access to green spaces are met.

The London Conservatives said the idea was a "complete betrayal" of the mayor's previous pledges to protect the green belt.

Giving a speech in Greenwich, south-east London, Sir Sadiq blamed a rise in mortgage interest rates, Brexit and "spiraling construction costs" for contributing to London's housing crisis.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said those who rent homes in the capital experienced a rise of 11% last year, while 183,000 Londoners are estimated to be living in temporary accommodation, such as hotels and hostels.

City Hall added that about 88,000 new homes are needed each year for at least the next decade to meet demand.

"We have young professionals stuck in their childhood bedrooms for years on end, lifelong residents being priced out of their own neighbourhoods... primary schools closing because young families can't afford local properties," said the mayor.

"The damage the housing crisis causing is pervasive and profound."

He said he would with the government to speed up building projects on brownfield sites, but warned, "this alone will not be sufficient to meet our needs".

"City Hall's new position is to actively explore the release of parts of London's green belt for development."

He said the large a large quantity of green belt land in London was "low-quality", with only 13% of it being parkland accessible to the public.

"Given the quality of London's green belt and the extent of London's crisis, I believe the current position is wrong, out of date and simply unsustainable.

"Development in carefully chosen areas of the green belt, done in the right way would allow us to unlock hundreds of thousand of new homes."

The mayor also warned that he would intervene if councils did not speed up planning applications.

The government has welcomed the move, with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner calling it a "bold proposal" that "rises to the challenge of tackling London's housing crisis".

Claire Holland, leader of Lambeth Council and chairwoman of London Councils, has backed the idea because she said there was a "desperate need to build new homes, particularly more affordable homes".

Ben Twomey, chief executive of campaign group Generation Rent, said he believed the mayor was right to consider the idea, as housing costs were "forcing too many of us into poverty and homelessness".

Among the areas in London at risk of losing green belt under the plans is Enfield, where the local authority is planning a housing development of 3,700 homes in an attractive rural setting, Vicarage Farm.

Carol Fisk is campaigning against the plans and has accused Sir Sadiq of "going for growth at at all costs".

She said: "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."

Speaking to BBC Radio London, Ms Fisk said: "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."

Ms Fisk added that she believed rent control and further landlord reforms would be more effective in addressing the housing crisis.

Countryside charity CPRE, which opposes the plans said there were currently 300,000 planning permissions that had not been built yet.

Andrew Boff, from the City Hall Conservatives, added: "The mayor has repeatedly stood in the London Assembly chamber and given categorical assurances that he would protect London's green belt.

"This announcement is a complete betrayal of those promises and shows utter contempt for Londoners who treasure these vital green spaces."

David Simmonds, Conservative MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner and shadow minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "The mayor should be looking to bring forward those homes that already have planning permission in the capital rather than opening up the green belt, because once that is gone, it's gone forever, and it's a vitally important asset for present and future Londoners."

Additional reporting by BBC London's political editor Karl Mercer, Lauren Stanley and political reporter Susana Mendonca

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