London Green Belt under threat: we respond to Mayor’s consultation

The London Mayor is consulting on plans to build over Green Belt, though we know this is unnecessary and will not solve the housing crisis. Metropolitan Land is also under threat without justification.

• Our full response is here: CPRE London comments Towards a New London Plan June 2025
• You can also read our more detailed concerns about lack of focus in the consultation on sports pitches
• Here is our more detailed blog about access to green space in London including a new map of ‘green space per person’
• And we have written more detail on our concerns about the Mayor’s unwarranted comments about golf courses

CPRE London’s key responses to the London Plan consultation

• There should be no building of housing or industrial capacity on London’s protected Green Belt or Metropolitan Open Land, to reflect the critical importance of these green spaces for agriculture, sports and recreation, expanding biodiversity habitat, managing rainwater and more. London’s development can be accommodated within the current urban area. Also, the ‘housing target’ for London of 88,000 per year – over double what is realistically likely to be built based on recent build rates – should be resisted as it will just lead to green fields being released for development, but no increase in the number of houses built.
• Specific Green Belt and MOL (or other green spaces, where appropriate) in London should be identified and designated and/or safeguarded in the Plan for sports and recreation, habitat, food growing and rainwater management; and the Plan should integrate management of ‘green and blue’ to reflect the importance of green spaces to filtering rain water, for clean rivers.
• The proposals to identify areas of London which have very little green space per person are welcomed, however there should be strong policies on protecting and improving access to sports pitches (currently there is no mention) and specifically the London Plan should be underpinned by a London-wide Playing Pitch Strategy – and indeed a Sports Development Strategy with the ambition of London being the No1 city for recreational sports in the UK.