Capital's green belt land 'must be considered for housing'

Business leaders have warned that London needs a surge in house building in the suburbs and green belt if the city is to capitalise on a once-in-a-generation chance to transform post-COVID. A report by Business LDN found that the city's "acute housing shortage both blights Londoners' lives and constrains the capital's international competitiveness". While brownfield land should be prioritised for redevelopment, researchers said that this alone will not meet the scale of the city's housing need and building on "poor quality" green belt land should be considered. City Hall analysis shows London now requires around 66,000 new homes a year to provide enough housing for current and future Londoners, but only an average of around 36,000 a year are currently being built. 

Evening Standard (26/05/2023)