Sir Sadiq Khan will announce plans to “actively explore” building on some of London’s green belt on Friday in a bid to fix the capital’s housing crisis.
The Mayor of London is expected to use a speech in Greenwich to argue that “the status quo is wrong, out-of-date and simply unsustainable”, with a generation of Londoners unable to rent or buy a home.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 for housebuilding, but with conditions on affordable housing, energy efficiency, transport links and promoting access to green spaces such as parks.
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 the next version of the London Plan, which will set out his vision 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 expects all housing supply to come from brownfield sites, is delivering only around 40,000 a year.
Meanwhile, rents in London rose by 11.5% last year and councils are spending £4 million 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.
“So given the quality of parts of London’s green belt and the extent of the housing crisis, I believe the status quo is wrong, out-of-date and simply unsustainable.
“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. This would not only go a long way to ending the housing crisis but provide a huge boost to our economy.”
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, also backed the proposal, saying: “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.
“Boroughs are resolutely pro-housebuilding and are committed to working with the Mayor and the Government to boost housing delivery across the capital.”
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.”
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