Sadiq Khan Source:&nbsp Shutterstock London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has said City Hall will ‘actively explore’ releasing parts of the capital’s green belt for development In a keynote speech on Thursday evening (8 May), Khan said his position on building on the greenbelt had changed due to the ‘extraordinary challenge’ of ending London’s housing crisis, which he said was causing ‘pervasive and profound’ damage to residents.  ‘We’ll be working with councils and others to secure as many new homes as we can on brownfield sites, both large and small,’ he said. ‘But we have to be honest with Londoners that this alone will not be enough to meet our needs.’  He said that, contrary to popular opinion, the greenbelt was not all ‘beautiful countryside, green and pleasant land, rich with wildlife,’ but instead ‘can often be low-quality land, poorly maintained and rarely enjoyed by Londoners’.Advertisement According to City Hall, just 13 per cent of the green belt is made up of parks and areas that the public can access.  ‘Given the quality of parts of London’s green belt and the extent of the housing crisis, I believe the status quo is wrong, out-of-date and simply unsustainable,’ Khan said.  ‘Development on carefully chosen parts of the green belt – done in the right way – would allow us to unlock hundreds of thousands of good-quality new homes for Londoners. This would not only go a long way to ending the housing crisis, but provide a huge boost to our economy.’ Khan said any green belt land released for development would have good transport connectivity and come with conditions attached to maximise the level of affordable housing, produce high-quality homes and ensure an increase in biodiversity as well as public access to green spaces. Deputy prime minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner has thrown her support behind the plans, saying: ‘We cannot end the housing crisis and build the 1.5 million homes we need without London being ambitious in its approach.Advertisement ‘That’s why the government welcomes the bold proposal announced by the mayor today, which rises to the challenge of tackling London’s housing crisis. The mayor of London has our backing to deliver the housing this city needs, in line with our ambition nationally, to unlock the dream of a secure home for a generation.’ The policy announcement comes as City Hall published its Towards a London Plan document, which provides an update on the current London Plan objectives and ideas for how to improve housing delivery ahead of the creation of the next London Plan.  The document is out for public consultation until 22 June. A draft London Plan will then be published in 2026 for another consultation, with formal adoption expected in 2028. 2025-05-09 Will Ing comment and share