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Sadiq Khan has approved 300 new homes on green belt land in Feltham in a rare move by a London mayor, as Keir Starmer used Wednesday’s King’s Speech to announce mandatory housing targets for local councils.
A month before the election, leading think tank the Centre for London again warned politicians that homebuilding should be allowed on at least some of the capital’s green belt to ease the housing crisis.
Labour have pledged to build 1.5 million homes within five years, while promising to preserve the green buffer “which has served England’s towns and cities well over many decades”.
What is the green belt?
Established in 1938 as a rural ring that would restrict London’s urban sprawl, the green belt now covers an area three times larger than the city itself.
In recent years politicians have come under increasing pressure to help relieve acute demand for housing in the south east by opening up some of its land for building projects.
Centre for London argues that the green belt "contains many areas of low ecological quality, the loss of which would not necessarily harm our climate goals or people’s access to high quality natural spaces".
These largely fall under so-called ‘grey belt’ land — a moniker which scoops up brownfield sites and wasteland which Labour has described as "poor quality and ugly areas" of the green belt. This is where the new government say their focus will lie.
Building on the green belt was seen as a vote-loser by the outgoing Conservative government, who have traditionally counted a swathe of Home Counties constituencies among its strongholds.
Here’s a taste of the green belt housing stock on offer.
Broxbourne, Hertfordshire
Built in 1850, this distinctive Grade II-listed five-bedroom house has more than more than 2,000 square feet of space. Perks include a separate study and playroom, plus a walled garden and an unusually large detached outbuilding.
Paul Wallace Estate Agents, 01992 929602
Albury, Surrey
£565,000
A charming two-bedroom cottage in the rather handsome former stable block of a stately home, all set in truly vast communal grounds on one side of the River Tillingbourne. Shuttered windows and exposed brick walls offer extra character.
Hamptons, 01483 967615
Cookham Dean, Berkshire
£1.6 million
This picture-perfect cottage in this rural spot near Maidenhead is deceptively roomy – there are four bedrooms, a study and an attractive pitched garden room inside, as well as a garage and summer house in the wraparound garden.
Foxtons, 020 3907 9930
South Godstone, Surrey
A spacious family home with four bedrooms and covetable parquet floors, plus a remarkable 300 foot landscaped garden that ends in a pocket of ancient woodland. It’s within easy walking distance of the station, with connecting services to Tonbridge and Redhill.
Robert Leech, 01883 779596
Shoreham, Kent
£3.25 million
This waterside former corn mill, dubbed The Old Mill House, dates from the 17th century but was converted in the 1970s. It comes with five bedrooms, a heated swimming pool and almost three acres of land, plus a very Kentish extra – a self-contained one-bedroom oast cottage.
Knight Frank, 01732 444763
Lingfield, Surrey
£375,000
A bright two-bedroom cottage with a south-facing garden on the rural edge of this popular village, handy for trains into Victoria. Highlights include an open fireplace in the living room, an external store and a huge cupboard off one bedroom that could be turned into a walk-in wardrobe.
Robert Leech, 01342 645083
Ongar, Essex
£425,000
A Grade II-listed two-bedroom cottage with a good-size basement and pretty patio garden, close to the shops in this historic village. An attractive brick extension houses a long galley kitchen to the rear, allowing for two reception rooms downstairs.
Keith Ashton, 01277 674395
Prestwood, Buckinghamshire
£900,000
This pretty four-bedroom flint house – within the grammar school catchment area – is set in a secluded quarter of an acre. Features include a garage, a large utility room and three reception rooms, including one with an inglenook fireplace with woodburning stove.
Savills, 01494 341308
Shipbourne, Kent
£900,000
A three-bedroom house with a garage and a huge landscaped garden, on the market for the first time in more than forty years. Snipbourne, near Tonbridge, sits in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the garden of this home backs onto the 1,000 acre Fairlawne Estate.
Fine & Country, 01892 352833
Woldingham, Surrey
£675,000
A rare opportunity to buy a one acre plot in the Green Belt with planning permission already granted. The consent is for a detached home to replace the existing buildings, which are shielded from neighbouring land by mature trees.
