Global News Post Fastest Global News Portal
Related Articles
BBCSir Sadiq Khan is to announce plans to “actively explore” development on a few of London’s inexperienced belt in a bid to mend the capital’s housing disaster.
The mayor of London is to argue that present regulations prohibiting building at the inexperienced belt are “wrong, out-of-date and simply unsustainable”, with many Londoners not able to hire or purchase a house.
Under the proposals, London’s planners will believe liberating some stretches of the land, with stipulations on reasonably priced housing, power potency, delivery hyperlinks and selling get admission to to inexperienced areas.
Andrew Boff, from the London Conservatives stated the theory was once a “complete betrayal” of earlier pledges to offer protection to the golf green belt.”
London Plan
Pressures on the housing market such as rising interest rates, landlord reforms and increasing demand have led in part to a rise in homelessness in the capital in recent years, as well as a hike in rents.
Sir Sadiq is expected to say that if done “in the fitting means”, building new homes on green belt land could “release masses of hundreds of good-quality new properties for Londoners” and ease the housing crisis.
The announcement marks a change in stance for Sir Sadiq, who has previously argued against developing the green belt while there are still undeveloped brownfield sites available.
While the mayor is expected to continue prioritising brownfield land, he is expected to tell his audience: “We need to be truthful with Londoners that this by myself may not be sufficient to fulfill our wishes.”
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.
PA MediaCity 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 “gray 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 inexperienced belt can incessantly be low-quality land, poorly maintained and infrequently loved through Londoners. Only round 13% is made up of parks and spaces that the general public can get admission to.”
The government has welcomed the move, with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner calling it a “daring proposal” that “rises to the problem of tackling London’s housing disaster”.
Claire Holland, leader of Lambeth Council and chairwoman of London Councils, has backed the idea because she said there was a “determined want to construct new properties, in particular extra reasonably priced properties”.
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 people into poverty and homelessness”.
‘Protect London’s inexperienced belt’
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.
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 enlargement at in any respect prices”.
She stated: “We’re very upset {that a} mayor who has all the time been a staunch defender of the golf green belt right through his mayoralty has made this u-turn.”
Speaking to BBC Radio London, Ms Fisk stated: “Green belt isn’t the answer. There are many, many making plans permissions remarkable, there are huge spaces of brownfield land that have not been constructed on but.”
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 time and again stood within the London Assembly chamber and given specific assurances that he would offer protection to London’s inexperienced 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 stated: “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 through BBC London’s political editor Karl Mercer, Lauren Stanley and Susana Mendonça
