Is there a case for building on London’s Green Belt?

The Green Belt is vast. Across the UK, it covers around 1.6 million hectares (ha), which is an area 10 times the size of London. And in London itself, around a fifth of the capital is designated as Green Belt. This lies both within the city and beyond its border, in places extending for 35 miles beyond the city. We estimate building on the 35,000 ha of Green Belt land within the capital’s border could deliver close to half a million homes.

Still, the thought of building on the Green Belt can elicit such strong emotions. But it is worth remembering this land isn’t all ‘green and pleasant land’. The original aim of the Green Belt was not to protect the countryside, rather it was a planning tool used to prevent urban sprawl. In fact, only a fifth of the current Green Belt is categorised as ‘open land, forest and water’, and there are many poor-quality parts of the Green Belt. These have recently been labelled the ‘grey belt’ by the Labour Party and incorporate areas that have either been neglected or previously developed.

In London there are a significant number of such sites that are ripe for development, with many also close to existing transport infrastructure. And some sites have been developed; around 3,000 homes in London have been built on the Green Belt over the last decade, with a further 2,000 in the pipeline. However, it is typically only granted in exceptional circumstances and is not the norm. This doesn’t seem to align with the needs of the 300,000 households in London on local authority waiting lists, and over 50,000 families living in temporary accommodation. Even if we opened up a portion of the Green Belt, the capital could double its current rate of housebuilding to 74,000 per year for the next 15 years.

The sheer size of the Green Belt surrounding London has prevented the development of ‘local commuter’ hubs. A map of London’s popular commuter towns illustrates how the Green Belt has prevented suburbs from developing organically. So those wanting to move out of London have been forced to ‘leapfrog’ over the Green Belt, often moving further out than is either desired or necessary. This has wider implications for transport and other infrastructure.

While we would not advocate a complete dismantling of Green Belt protection, there is a case for a review. Building on London’s Green Belt in a strategic, responsible, and sustainable way would help boost the delivery of homes, including much needed affordable housing.

Figure 1: Potential number of homes that could be delivered on London’s Green Belt within the city border

Source: DCLG, CBRE Research