London mayor to 'explore' building on green belt

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

The Mayor of London is expected to use a speech in Greenwich later to argue "the status quo is wrong, out-of-date and simply unsustainable", with a generation of Londoners unable to rent or buy a home.

Under the proposals, London's planners will look to release some green belt land, with conditions on affordable housing, energy efficiency, transport links and promoting access to green spaces.

Susan Hall, leader of the City Hall Conservatives, said: "This is a mayor who will sacrifice London's precious green spaces to appease his Labour paymasters."

The announcement marks a change in stance for Sir Sadiq, who has previously argued against releasing green belt land while there are still previously developed brownfield sites available.

While the mayor is expected to continue prioritising brownfield land, he is expected to tell his audience on Friday: "We have to be honest with Londoners that this alone will not be enough to meet our needs."

The announcement comes as Sir Sadiq launches a consultation on an updated London Plan - which will set out a strategy for development in the capital over the next two decades.

London has a new target of building 88,000 new homes a year, but the current plan, which relies on building on brownfield sites, is delivering only around 40,000 a year.

Meanwhile, rents in London rose by 11.5% last year and councils are spending £4m a day on temporary accommodation amid increasing homelessness.

City Hall has already begun a review of green belt land in line with the government's policy of building more on low-quality parts of the green belt, so-called "grey belt" land.

But Friday's announcement is expected to go further, investigating other possibilities for securing enough land to meet London's housing needs.

Sir Sadiq will say: "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.

"Development on carefully chosen parts of the green belt - done in the right way - would allow us to unlock hundreds of thousands of good-quality new homes for Londoners."

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".

BBC London's political editor Karl Mercer said the plans could put the mayor on a collision course with several outer London Conservative boroughs, like Bexley, Bromley, Hillingdon and Croydon - all four refused to take part in the mayor's review of the green belt earlier this year.

It also comes just a year before council elections in the capital when all 32 boroughs go to the polls.

Claire Holland, leader of Lambeth Council and chairwoman of London Councils, has backed the proposal.

She said: "London is grappling with the worst housing pressures in the country and there is a desperate need to build new homes, particularly more affordable homes."

Ben Twomey, chief executive of campaign group Generation Rent, said: "When housing costs are forcing too many of us into poverty and homelessness, it is right that the mayor sets out his ambition to build the homes we need, including in parts of the green belt where appropriate."

Countryside charity CPRE opposes the plans. Its head of campaigns, Alice Roberts, said: "Building on green belt can't solve the housing crisis.

"There are 300,000 planning permissions out there for homes that haven't yet been built.

"We think if you release green belt, you're failing to build the ones already planned."

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."