HAVERING’S GREEN BELT MUSN’T BE THE PRICE FOR HOUSING FAILURES,WARNS LOCAL MP

6th October 20266th October 2026 Francesca Lilleystone 0 Comments Housing, Julia Lopez MP min read

Julia Lopez MP is urging residents to have their say on plans for thousands more homes in Havering, warning that local countryside could be lost because of government and mayoral housing failures.

The government promised 1.5 million new homes but Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner recently admitted that there is only a “slim chance” of meeting her own target.

Rising costs, more tax and regulatory burdens mean developers are not building on the kinds of brownfield sites that could most benefit from redevelopment because they cannot make the numbers add up. The construction sector has been contracting since January 2025despite there being enough brownfield land on which to build 1.4 million homes in England, with 55% of sites already with planning permission.

Meanwhile, housing starts under Sadiq Khan have dropped 84% in the ten years he has been Mayor of London, partly because of affordable housing targets that have made sites unviable.

Rather than addressing the high taxes, regulations and economic problems being heaped on the construction sector, Ministers and Mayor are now making it easier to build on Green Belt – the only land ith which builders can make viable economic decisions as it is cheaper to develop. National planning changes have made development on some Green Belt land easier through “grey belt” policies and greater support for housing near well-connected stations, subject to conditions.

Combined with Khan’s proposed housing targets, these changes are increasing development pressure across Havering’s green spaces. Khan’s draft London Plan is now liveand proposes 21 712 homes in Havering over ten years, including 12 060 on greenfield land, demonstrating the scale of the challenge ahead.

Hornchurch & Upminster MP, Mrs Lopez, has already been contacted by several developers about proposals involving Green Belt land in Hornchurch and Upminster. She argues that Ministers and the Mayor should address the reasons housing projects are stalling, rather than making green spacethe easier option.

Julia said:

“Supporting new homes and wanting to protect our countryside are entirely compatible goals. We should start by getting suitable sites that already have permission built on and tackling the reasons developers are not building.”

“Former industrial sites can be expensive and complicated to bring back into use. If construction costs, financing and regulatory requirements make those projects uneconomic, opening up more countryside does not resolve the underlying problem. It risks making our fields the low-hanging fruit while places that would benefit from regeneration remain stalled.”

Continuing, Julia said:

“Rebranding land as ‘grey belt’ does not mean it is all derelict or previously built on. It can include open countryside that residents value.

“Ministers and the Mayor should focus on making development viable in the right places, supported by the roads, schools, healthcare and other infrastructure communities need.”

She went onto explain:

“As a Havering MP, I do not decide local planning applications. Those decisions rest with Havering Council, and I am always happy to pass residents’ concerns to the councillors considering an application.

“My role in Parliament is to scrutinise the Government’s policies and press Ministers on their consequences for our constituency. I will also challenge the Mayor’sproposals and make sure local concerns are heard. The London Plan consultation is an opportunity to question the scale of development proposed for Havering, explain what our green spaces mean to us, and ask how infrastructure will keep pace. I urge residents to make their views known.””

Have your say before 5pm on Thursday 15 October 2026.

The London Plan consultation gives residents an opportunity to question Havering’s proposed housing targets, raise concerns about the loss of green spaces and explain what additional development would mean for local services and transport.

Read the proposals and submit a response at consult.london.gov.uk/londonplan, or email londonplan@london.gov.uk.

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