Sadiq Khan: House-building drive must give green belt guarantee

Sadiq Khan called for protections for the green belt around London
Carl Court/Getty Images
Pippa Crerar6 February 2017

The Government must guarantee “strong protection” of the green belt amid concerns that ministers might be prepared to water it down, Sadiq Khan said today.

The Mayor said he would work closely with ministers to make sure London had the tools it needed to tackle the housing crisis — but has made clear this should not include building more homes on protected land.

Housing minister Gavin Barwell was forced to clarify that the Government’s housing white paper, to be published tomorrow, will not change the rules restricting building on the green belt.

Mr Barwell said that there would be no change from the 2015 Tory manifesto, which pledged to protect the rural spaces between towns and cities, and that the current policy, which allows councils to approve developments in “exceptional circumstances”, would remain.

Mr Khan, welcoming plans to boost the supply of affordable housing, added: “Of course we need to fully consider all the details in the white paper.

“I particularly hope there will be a strong commitment to protecting the green belt.”

The white paper is expected to include a series of measures to encourage more house-building as the Government aims to meet its goal of one million new houses by 2020.

It will also offer more help to those in the rental sector, including incentives for longer tenancies and a crackdown on landlords who fail to provide adequate accommodation.

Concern over the fate of the green belt follows a warning from Tory former cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell that the Government was about to send a “very damaging signal” that its previous stance that the green belt was “sacrosanct” no longer stood.

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