Created on
28 February 2020
Our Green Belt is constantly under threat from development and the fight to protects it is close to many Londoners’ hearts. It is our ‘city limits’ and forms a protective, green barrier around London.
It also provides a home for wildlife, can help mitigate the worst effects of climate change like flooding, provide space for leisure and relaxation for stressed Londoners, and even grows some of our food.
Today Assembly Member Caroline Russell releases her new report, Gold Plate our Green Belt, which found this precious asset is all too often taken for granted, neglected or at risk of being lost to development. [1]
Caroline Russell says:
Our Green Belt is a much-loved resource – even if we don’t visit it very often we know it provides open green spaces for us to enjoy, as well as stopping our city sprawling too much.As London grows the role of the Green Belt is more important than ever and the need to safeguard it is increasingly urgent. We should be enriching and enhancing what we have – turning abandoned spaces into wildlife corridors and native plant havens – rather than allowing developers to rip them up.
I’m very concerned that the secretary of state for housing has urged the Mayor to comprehensively review London’s Green Belt in light of housing targets.
Londoners need their green spaces – our city needs breathing space.
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when reviewing the Mayor’s new London Plan, recommended the Mayor lead a comprehensive review of London’s Green Belt because of the pressure development is putting on land use. [2]
Related documents
Gold Plate our Green Belt_Caroline Russell_Feb_2020
Notes to editors
[1] Gold plate our Green Belt. Caroline Russell, Feb 2020 https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/gold_plate_our_green_belt…
[2] Examination in Public on the London Plan Inspectors Report
https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/planning/london-plan/new-london-pl…