Goodbye Greenbelt Hello Concrete Towers.

Green Belt was once untouchable land, but now the barriers are being lowered, and our countryside no longer has the protection it once did.

Beautiful, mature trees, hedgerows and land full of wildlife are being destroyed in one sweep. We know trees are eco-systems of their own, home to endless wildlife, and most importantly, they produce the clean air we so desperately need. Yet, at a time when London is supposed to be encouraging cleaner air, it is cutting down trees at a shocking rate.

Residents in some areas have even been spotted wrapping their trees in plastic to stop birds from nesting, keeping a tree “neatly measured and tidy” has, unbelievably, become more important than protecting wildlife. Meanwhile, diggers pull up onto fields, chainsaws roar into action, and yet another stretch of countryside is lost.

This is not just perception, the figures back it up. Between 2022 and 2023 alone, England lost around 3,540 hectares of Green Belt land. Longer-term, between 2019 and 2022, more than 7,000 hectares of undeveloped Green Belt were developed — including almost 8 km² turned into housing. While the total Green Belt still covers 12.5% of England, year after year, small but significant parcels are chipped away.

And now, new planning rules could speed this up. The government is pushing local authorities to review Green Belt boundaries, with some areas being reclassified as so-called “Grey Belt” — land judged to be of lower environmental or landscape quality. Developers are circling these areas, eager to push through new housing and infrastructure.

In Havering, the pressure is already clear. Proposals include a 40-hectare data centre at North Ockendon on farmland, with a large battery storage system also approved on 11 hectares of Green Belt. In addition, Havering’s Local Planning Authority has seen an unprecedented 78 submissions from developers wanting to build on land, much of it Green Belt.

Campaigners argue that Green Belt is more than just “empty land” — it’s farmland, woodland, hedgerows and meadows. It’s also part of the character of outer London boroughs like Havering. Once destroyed, these spaces cannot be replaced.

The question now is whether Havering and London will defend what remains, or whether the slow chipping away of our Green Belt will continue until little is left.

Stay up to date with all of our latest updates and content by following us on our social media accounts!

We have created community pages where we will share our up-to-date stories happening in the area. Add the area closest to where you live.