London mayor to release green belt land

City Hall will “actively explore” releasing parts of London’s green belt to address the capital’s housing crisis, the mayor of London Sadiq Khan said today (May 9).

The mayor said in a speech that his position on the green belt had changed as “bold solutions” were needed to reach the 88,000 new homes a year that London needs over the next decade.

Khan stated that developing on brownfield land alone would “never be enough” to meet the capital’s housing shortage. He proposed that releasing “carefully chosen” parts of the green belt would unlock “hundreds of thousands of new homes” for Londoners, including those for social housing, to alleviate the housing crisis and significantly boost the economy.

The mayor has also launched a consultation on the next London Plan, setting out his vision for developing the capital over the next 20 to 25 years.

In his speech in Greenwich, Khan said that the “status quo” with London’s green belt was “wrong, out-of-date and simply unsustainable”.

He continued: “The perception many people have is that the green belt is all beautiful countryside, green and pleasant land, rich with wildlife.

“The reality is very different. The green belt can often …