London mayor backs May in vow to protect Green Belt

THE Labour mayor of London will this week forge an unlikely alliance with Theresa May and commit to protecting the Green Belt in the Home Counties.

Sadiq Khan will on Wednesday publish a development plan for the capital and land around it which will seek to prevent development on Green Belt. A spokesman for his office said that any “planning application which involves building on Green Belt will be refused by the mayor if it does not meet strict rules on what is appropriate”.

This includes “replacing existing buildings with new ones of a similar scale or the provision of new agricultural buildings”. Mr Khan sets development policy for London as well as parts of the Home Counties such as Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey.

He said: “With my new London Plan I’m sending a clear message to developers that building on or near the Green Belt must respect and protect this vital natural resource.” He added: “London needs 66,000 new homes every year to meet its increasing need and put right years of underinvestment. But development must not be done at any cost: the Green Belt is the lungs of the capital and must be protected.

“I firmly believe we can build the homes Londoners need without sacrificing the Green Belt. This will mean more development on brownfield land, town centres becoming denser, incorporating more green infrastructure in our streets and developments and being more creative with how we develop the hundreds of small sites across the capital.”

Before last week’s Budget, Mrs May fought off attempts by Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, to sanction a relaxation on building on the Green Belt. She has also championed the Green Belt in her Maidenhead constituency.