News for the community, by the community.
Residents Raise Concerns Over Major Green Belt Development Plans Near Havering-How Much Wildlife Would Be Destroyed?
“Together, we must protect our wildlife, our environment, and our countryside before it is too late.” Residents gathered in Noak
Yesterday, Councillor Graham Williamson authored an article in the Havering Daily entitled, ‘Creating a Greener Future: The Ecology Park and Visitor Centre at East Havering’.
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As East Havering Data Centre consultation draws to a close on Tuesday April 7th, Green Party Chair Mark Whiley has criticised developers that he says are carving up Green Belt across the East End and South Essex. Today he writes:
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A consultation meeting held at Havering Town Hall on Wednesday evening over plans for a major data centre in North Ockendon has sparked frustration among residents, with concerns raised about how the session was organised and delivered.
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Government changes to building on the greenbelt is overriding the local democratic process. Yesterday, the government announced a short list of seven new towns: Enfield, Greater Manchester, Greenwich, Bedfordshire, South Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire and West Yorkshire. Each town is expected to deliver the minimum of 10,000 homes, with some rising to 40,000 over the years. This aligns with the governments push to deliver 1.5m homes.
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In an unprecedented coordinated effort, community groups across the London Borough of Havering have issued a joint statement raising urgent concerns over Green Belt erosion, declining local amenity, and planning transparency, calling on councillors and election candidates to take action.
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Green Belt land in England, including around London, is protected to stop towns and cities from sprawling into the countryside
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Across Havering, countless residents are opposing proposals for development on Green Belt land. Let us take a step back in time. Spring and summers were full of birds. Trees were their habitat and swallows marked the start of summer. Endless insects arrived, noticeable in your garden. Foxes were heard at night. Badger setts were visible in fields. Our wildlife was present.
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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.
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There was a time when the very mention of touching Green Belt land would send shockwaves through any local authority. Green Belt wasn’t just protected, it was revered. It was our buffer against relentless development, our breathing space, and a sanctuary for wildlife. Yet today, it appears to stand defenceless, stripped of the respect and protection it once commanded.
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Residents living in Noak Hill have reached out to The Havering Daily after reporting large lorries blocking local roads on Sunday morning, carrying loads of hardcore into a field on Green Belt land. The site, near Paternoster Road and Church Road, has become the focus of serious concern as residents believe an illegal encampment is being rapidly constructed.
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Havering’s green belt is facing an unprecedented wave of pressure, not just in one corner of the borough but across sites stretching from Noak Hill to Rainham and North Ockendon. Land once considered sacrosanct has found itself vulnerable, with long-held protections weakened and development interest escalating rapidly. Nowhere is this more keenly felt than along Fenn Lane, where a major data centre has been proposed on farmland.
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Councillor Pat Brown presented a petition signed by hundreds of local residents opposing the proposed MOTO motorway service area at the last full Council meeting on Wednesday 19 November 2025. The development, which would build extensive new services on both sides of the M25 in Brentwood and Havering, comes on top of the disruption and environmental pressures expected from the Lower Thames Crossing.
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As environmental campaigners met to discuss the potential harms and inappropriate development faced by Havering, Green Party campaigner Mark Whiley calls on councillors to not rush timelines or consultations ahead of next year’s elections.
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An overwhelming majority of Havering residents have made their views clear — they do not want to see the borough’s Green Belt built on.
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More than 50 residents attended a meeting last week as part of an ongoing campaign to stop plans for two large motorway service stations being built on Green Belt land near the M25.
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Havering residents are being urged to join a public Zoom meeting at 12.30pm on Friday, 24 October, to hear about the growing number of developments threatening our precious green belt land.
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Havering is facing an endless list of battles and right at the top sits the fight to save its green spaces. As one of London’s outer boroughs, Havering has long been known for its countryside feel, its open fields, and its unique mix of town and country life. But for how much longer?
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Moto Hospitality Limited wants to build two huge motorway service areas (MSAs) just north of junction 28 of the M25, but for local residents, this plan represents far more than just traffic and tarmac. It is yet another slice of Green Belt under threat, more concrete poured over fields and wildlife, and a devastating loss of the precious open space that separates our communities.
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Green Belt was once untouchable land, but now the barriers are being lowered, and our countryside no longer has the protection it once did.
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