Bromley moves to protect Green Belt at St Mary Cray

Last year, CPRE London invited you to object to and support this local campaign against an outline planning proposal for up to 350 homes on a Green Belt site.  

Your voice was heard. 

• Over 1000 objections were made on the planning application (25/05427/OUT), raising concerns about the future of the borough’s Green Belt.  

• Bromley Council issued a resolution to refuse the application on the 5th of June 2026, sending an important signal about the importance it places on protecting the borough’s Green Belt. 

• Councillor Yvonne Bear, Bromley’s Executive Councillor for Renewal, Recreation and Housing, firmly stated: “This is a completely inappropriate development on the borough’s cherished green belt land, which is why we have issued this resolution to indicate our intention to refuse the application. We will continue to protect Bromley’s green belt by fighting unsuitable greenbelt developments through our planning process.” 

CPRE congratulates the Derry Downs Green Belt Future Group, whose tireless campaigning, including petitions, community walks and public engagement, helped demonstrate the strength and power of local people throughout the planning process. 

As pressure for new housing continues to grow, decisions such as this will shape how Green Belt policy is applied across London. For CPRE, protecting the countryside while delivering genuinely sustainable development remains at the heart of the planning system. 

CPRE London objected to the planning proposal on the following basis: 

• This is inappropriate development on the Green Belt. Exceptional circumstances cannot be said to exist.  

• The development will spoil the rural character and significantly reduce the openness of this tranquil section of the Green Belt. It will also be devastating for local nature and wildlife.  

• This land is open countryside, used for farming, forming a clear and long-standing buffer between communities. It therefore meets the purposes of the Green Belt and cannot be described as ‘grey belt’.  

• The site is subject to significant surface water flood risk, and there is a history of flooding on the land itself.  

• The development would be an unsustainable, car-dependent form of growth that would be inconsistent with the Bromley Local Plan, The London Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework. 

The proposal included improvements to the neighbouring recreation ground and other community benefits. However, Bromley Council concluded that these benefits did not outweigh the harm arising from inappropriate development in the Green Belt. 

An appeal is now underway. 

Bromley Council have confirmed that “the resolution to refuse was issued by the council under delegated powers rather than through the usual committee process after the applicant refused to agree a further extension of time to determine the application at the next available Development Control Committee.” 

Following this, Lands Improvement Holdings has launched an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate (appeal reference AP-36812, PINS reference 6011063). You are able to share your comments here until the 18th of August. Please note that letters submitted as part of the original application will be considered by the Inspectorate as part of their review, so any comments at this stage should include new information, evidence, or specific reference to relevant policy in order to further influence deliberations. The previous CPRE London article on the case may be helpful in drafting this, with more information about The Bromley Local Plan and policies here. The public inquiry will take place on 19 January 2027. 

For communities in Bromley, the Green Belt is more than a plot of land, it forms part of the borough’s identity, provides access to the countryside and helps maintain the character that makes Bromley unique.  

You can continue to support campaigning against the proposal through the Save St Mary Cray website or the Derry Downs Green Belt Future Group Facebook page.