Business as usual is not working, and the UK capital must respond to 21st-century planning pressures, not 20th-century assumptions. Philip Allin makes the case for turning low value empty urban and rural sites into vital development opportunities.
The Mayor of London’s latest consultation, Towards a New London Plan, is many things: bold, overdue and, above all, honest. It opens the door, at last, to a discussion that hasn’t previously been confronted head-on — the city cannot meet its housing needs without looking at the Green Belt and other potential sources of delivery, including Metropolitan Open Land [MOL].
While this consultation is only the start of a long process, it is nonetheless a milestone. It signals that the Mayor is beginning to look positively at this issue and the approach is consistent with national planning policy, as set out in the new NPPF published in December 2024.
It accepts that London needs a more strategic approach to land use and cannot rely solely on brownfield land alone. If followed through, this could allow London to address its chronic under-supply of housing for the first time in decades. As the consultation document explains, over the next ten-year period London needs 880,000 new homes – an annual rate of growth that has not been achieved since the boom of the 1930s.
For too long, the Green Belt has been treated as sacred in planning discussions. And, in theory, its purpose is clear and important. This space prevents urban sprawl, stop towns merging, safeguards the countryside, preserves the setting of historic towns and encourages the recycling of urban land.
In practice, particularly in London’s outer boroughs, it is not clear whether land meets these purposes as there has never been a strategic London-wide Green Belt review. The same is true of MOL, a London-specific designation that often protects tracts of land on the basis of historic or perceived value.
There are numerous examples across London and the wider South East of small pockets of Green Belt or MOL which offer limited environmental and recreational value. Many are located next to rail stations or other public transport hubs, or close to town centres.
At Boyer, we’ve spent years working on achieving promotions in local plans for such sites. These locations present precisely the kind of opportunity for housing that should be embraced if London and the wider region is to meet annual housing needs. Their development can deliver not just homes, but public spaces, community infrastructure and other amenities, all in a location which is, ultimately, sustainable.
This is not about concreting over bucolic land, it’s about a more strategic approach to land use, identifying underperforming sites in the right locations and setting clear parameters for quality, accessibility, and long-term value. But, of course, that won’t be easy. The political and emotional weight of the Green Belt remains strong, particularly at a local level. Outer London residents may be wary of changes they perceive as threatening to the character of their area. The key challenge for politicians is articulating the public benefits of reform in a way that builds – rather than erodes – trust and consensus.
To succeed, this process will require leadership, genuine engagement, and a commitment to good design, sustainability, and infrastructure delivery. It will also require a frank conversation with the public about trade-offs. Helping people understand that protecting every piece of open land has a cost, and that with the right safeguards, change can enhance rather than detract from life quality.
It would be naïve to suggest the current mayoral consultation alone will solve London’s housing crisis. But it does represent a step-change in thinking. It acknowledges that business as usual is not working, and that the capital’s planning framework must be capable of responding to 21st-century pressures, not 20th-century assumptions.
Philip Allin is Director of Boyer, a London-based planning and urban design consultancy.
Image: Theo Bickel / Unsplash
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