Croydon Council has said it will object to the new draft London Plan because of proposals to use “sacrosanct” green belt land for housing.
Croydon: 21,544 new homes planned
Last week, London mayor Sadiq Khan unveiled the new streamlined London Plan, including pledges to develop 558,000 homes by 2037, make it easier to build affordable homes and stimulate economic growth.
Jason Perry, executive mayor of Croydon, said: “I am clear that Croydon will oppose the draft London Plan in its current form. We need more homes, including affordable homes, but our green belt is sacrosanct.”
He added: “Whilst I am mayor, Croydon Council will always stand up for our green belt and for the right of local communities to shape the places where they live.”
The plan, which includes different targets for different boroughs, sets a target for Croydon to build 21,544 homes over the next 10 years, comprising 15,944 homes on brownfield sites in previously developed areas, and 5,600 homes on green-belt land between Croydon and New Addington.
Although any changes to green-belt boundaries would need to go through Croydon’s Local Plan process, the council said it doesn’t agree that meeting housing targets should depend on building on green-belt land.
Meanwhile, the property industry has broadly welcomed the plan, which states that 10% of the 10-year target will need to be met through the release of green-belt land, as a more realistic approach in the struggle to hit housing targets.
Khan: unveiled streamlined London plan. Credit: David P Maynard, Creative Commons
Jordan McCay, policy officer at Real Estate:UK, said the new plan reflected the “significant delivery challenges facing London, including infrastructure capacity and viability pressures.”
The strategy’s target of 558,000 homes by 2037 represents a 38% cut from the figure in last year’s consultation, in the face of what Khan called a “perfect storm” facing housebuilding in London.
The draft plan adds that this target will only be possible with the right national support, such as investment in key transport infrastructure to help unlock large housing projects.
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