12,060 Green Belt-Linked Homes for Havering: Khan’s New London Plan Puts Borough’s Greenbelt In Firing Line For Huge Housing Expansion

1st October 20261st October 2026 Francesca Lilleystone 0 Comments Greenbelt, Havering, Housing, London Plan min read

Havering has been given a proposed target of 21,712 new homes over the next ten years under Sadiq Khan’s new Draft London Plan, with 12,060 of those identified as greenfield homes and the plan stating that such growth should be advanced through Green Belt release.

The huge housing figure has emerged in the new Draft London Plan published by the Mayor of London in July 2026 and currently being consulted on across the capital.

And while the plan is not yet adopted, the figures could have major implications for Havering, with the borough facing one of the largest proposed greenfield housing allocations in London.

The Draft London Plan sets Havering a ten-year housing target of:

• 9,652 homes on brownfield land

• 12,060 homes on greenfield land

• 21,712 homes in total

The figures cover the period from 2027/28 to 2036/37.

The most significant wording for Havering comes immediately after the housing targets.

The draft states that where a local planning authority has a greenfield component to its housing target, it should plan for strategic growth to deliver that assessed capacity.

It then states that these developments “should be advanced through Green Belt release”, in line with the draft’s Green Belt policy.

That does not mean that 12,060 specific Green Belt sites have already been approved for development.

The London Plan is currently a draft and the process of actually changing Green Belt boundaries would still involve local plan-making and public consultation.

But the proposed policy direction is clear: Havering has been allocated a substantial greenfield housing requirement and the draft says greenfield growth of this type should be advanced through Green Belt release.

The Draft London Plan also specifically identifies parts of Havering among its proposed Green Belt Residential-led Mixed Use Broad Locations for Growth.

These include Upminster and Harold Park.

It also identifies Upminster Rainham as a future candidate Green Belt residential-led mixed-use location.

The Mayor’s plan says London cannot meet all of its housing, economic and infrastructure needs from brownfield land alone.

The draft states that additional Green Belt land is required to help meet those needs, while maintaining what it describes as a brownfield-first approach.

However, the GLA itself makes clear that the new London Plan is not yet law.

The current consultation closes at 5pm on 15 October 2026.

Following consultation, the Mayor is expected to consider representations before formally submitting the plan for an Examination in Public, which will be conducted by independent Planning Inspectors.

Any recommended changes could then be made before the plan eventually goes through the remaining stages towards adoption.

Until that process is completed, the figures remain proposals contained within the Draft London Plan rather than an adopted housing requirement.

There is also a significant difference between the two elements of Havering’s proposed target.

The draft allocates 9,652 homes to brownfield land but 12,060 to greenfield land, meaning the greenfield figure is 2,408 homes higher than the brownfield figure.

Across London, the draft’s ten-year table identifies 502,351 brownfield homes and 56,100 greenfield homes.

Havering’s proposed greenfield figure of 12,060 is therefore a particularly substantial component of the borough’s overall target.

The draft also states that housing targets are considered minimum levels and that higher numbers are expected to be positively planned for as viability conditions improve and over the longer term.

For Havering, that means the 21,712 figure should not necessarily be viewed as an absolute ceiling.

The Mayor’s office has previously made clear that its strategic Green Belt assessment does not itself change Green Belt boundaries or select individual parcels for release.

That process would have to take place through borough-level local plan-making and public consultation.

But with the Draft London Plan now on the table, the debate over Havering’s Green Belt and the scale of future development is set to intensify.

For residents, one of the biggest questions will be how the borough can accommodate a proposed 21,712 homes, including 12,060 greenfield homes, while also providing the infrastructure, roads, schools, healthcare and transport needed to support a rapidly growing population.

And with Upminster, Harold Park and the wider Upminster/Rainham area featuring in the draft’s Green Belt growth strategy, the impact could be felt particularly strongly in eastern Havering.

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