Havering Named One of London’s Worst Green Belt Offenders in Damning New Report.

More than fifty of London’s parks and green spaces are now facing serious threat from development and commercialisation, according to a stark new report by CPRE London. While some sites have been saved since the campaign group’s last warning two years ago, far too many have already been lost, others remain under imminent threat, and new locations are now in the firing line. Alarmingly, Havering is singled out as one of the worst-affected boroughs, with four Green Belt and open land sites- Lodge Farm, Baldwins Farm, Benets Road and a proposed data centre in North Ockendon, highlighted as being under threat.

Two years on from their last report, CPRE London says some spaces have been saved, but too many sites have been lost, many are still in danger and new sites have come under threat. 

Key findings in the report: 

·                  Over 50 sites are under threat including Green Belt, Metropolitan Open Land, parks, recreation grounds, sports fields, nature reserves, and other green spaces. 

·                  Worst hit boroughs Bromley, Greenwich and Havering have four or more sites under threat. 

·                  At least nine parks, eight playing fields and eight nature reserves are currently at risk, including Whitewebbs Park, Wimbledon Park and Greendale Park. 

·                  Six green spaces were saved last year, including the pitches at Finsbury Leisure Centre, but seven were lost, including Crossness Nature Reserve.

Alice Roberts of CPRE London said: “In the past two years, we’ve faced two new challenges. Almost unbelievably, a legal judgement confirmed that councils have unfettered powers to sell parks. Elsewhere, parks are being turned into commercial event spaces. If you think London’s parks are protected, think again.  

“Second, the UK government has caved in to lobbying to remove Green Belt protection, introducing a ‘grey belt’ policy enabling landowners to cash-in on protected countryside land they bought cheaply years ago, despite widescaleavailability of brownfield land in London, including a staggering 300,000 homes with planning permission unbuilt.” [2] 

“Councils are the custodians of public rights over parks. The law must be tightened so councils cannot treat them as financial assets to sell or rent when times are tough. We are also calling for an end to damaging ‘grey belt’ policy which is threatening Green Belt farmland.” 

Dame Judi Dench, a supporter of the campaign group Guardians of Whitewebbs, a park in Enfield which the local council has agreed to lease to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, said: “Staggeringly, ten percent of public land in Britain has been lost since 1979. [3] Whitewebbs Park in Enfield is one of the public parks currently under threat. There a 450 year-old oak tree was brutally butchered and Spurs’ plans to develop the park involve cutting down 207 trees, including veteran and mature trees, and taking over most of the park for their elite private use. 

“It is absolutely essential for us to protect these trees and people’s access to nature. Campaign to Protect Rural England London (CPRE London) is assisting the fight to save Whitewebbs and other sites currently under threat and it is clear to me that it is more important than ever to protect our parks and green spaces, before it’s too late.”  

Havering Campaigners said:

“The Campaign For The Protection of Rural England have produced a report which details the many green areas of London which are under threat.  Havering is mentioned in the report as being one of the worst offenders, giving four examples of many where there is a threat to our own Green Belt /spaces; Lodge Farm, Baldwins Farm, Data Centre in North Ockendon, and Benets Road. This is not a great accolade for Havering Council.  This is not a legacy to be proud of.  This is not what we consider as protecting our precious Green Belt and spaces, as the current administration’s manifesto pledged.”  

Please see a link to the report below.

Cashing-in-on-Londons-Parks-and-Countryside.pdf

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.