Greenbelt building plan needs rethink - Hillingdon

A west London council has called for a rethink from City Hall, after being told it could have to build thousands of new homes on greenfield sites.

Hillingdon Council labelled the proposals in the mayor's draft London Plan as "disproportionate" and said they had been "singled out" for green belt development.

Under the plan, Hillingdon was asked to build 14,750 new homes on greenfield sites over the next 10 years. Its target for brownfield sites was 9,280.

Jules Pipe, deputy mayor of London for planning and regeneration, said City Hall believed Hillingdon's target was "deliverable" and "not disproportionate".

BBC London joined Hillingdon's Conservative leader, Steve Tuckwell at Ickenham Marsh, one of the areas highlighted by the draft London Plan for possible future homes.

"No-one disputes that London needs more homes," he said. "The question is where they should go.

"The mayor's answer appears to be Hillingdon, expecting our borough to sacrifice more green belt than anywhere else in London while other boroughs are expected to do nowhere near as much."

In total, Hillingdon was asked to build more than 24,000 homes in the next 10 years, with 61% on greenfield sites. Under the previous 2021 London Plan, its target was 10,830.

"There is no evidence to justify placing such a disproportionate burden on Hillingdon and its residents," said Tuckwell.

The council leader said the borough's greens paces were "cherished" by residents and added that he wanted to work with City Hall and could demonstrate that the borough could build its homes on brownfield sites.

"We're absolutely determined to build more homes - Hillingdon homes for Hillingdon people - but in the right places with the right infrastructure," he said.

Residents enjoying Ickenham Marsh told the BBC that "it would be a shame" if the area was developed for housing, adding that the green spaces "were the draw" for living in Hillingdon.

Pipe said the draft London Plan's target for Hillingdon reflected the borough's "potential housing capacity".

"We look forward to engaging constructively with the council so we can realistically address London's housing crisis together," he said.

The London Plan is part of Sir Sadiq Khan's legal duties and covers issues including planning, housing, economic growth and spatial development until 2037.

The current draft, which is out for consultation, predicts London's boroughs should be building 558,000 homes over the next 10 years, less than the 85,000 homes a year the government said the capital needed.

The plan said its figures were "based upon an assessment of what could be feasibly deliverable in the coming decade".

Hillingdon is one of eight outer London boroughs targeted in the draft London Plan for house building on greenfield sites.

The plan talks about "optimising brownfield sites" for development and "using the green belt to deliver major new settlements and ensure industrial provision".

One of the new settlements already earmarked is the Crews Hill and Chase Park area of Enfield, chosen by the government as a potential site for one of its new towns.

The conservative run council there has withdrawn support for the scheme, which was pledged by the former Labour administration, and said it would fight any major developments on the green belt there.

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