Croydon's Executive Mayor, Jason Perry, has formally opposed a City Hall proposal to build 5,600 homes on the borough's green belt, warning that a lack of adequate transport links would leave new residents "cut off" from the rest of London. The draft London Plan, published by Mayor Sadiq Khan, sets a ten-year housing target of 21,544 homes for Croydon, including 15,944 on brownfield land and 5,600 on green belt land. This marks a significant change from the previous 2021 plan, which did not include green belt housing allocations.
Perry's opposition to green belt development
Speaking at a London Assembly Housing Committee meeting on Wednesday, September 2, Perry said the green belt is "sacrosanct" and should not be built on "at all costs." He argued that building thousands of homes away from established infrastructure risks creating isolated communities. "The big issue with the green belt is once it's gone it's gone, we are not going to get that land back," he told Assembly Members.
Perry pointed to New Addington as an example of an area that was previously "cut off" before investment in the form of Tramlink helped connect it to Croydon. However, he argued that the Tramlink network, which serves many areas closest to the green belt, would not cope with such an influx of residents. "The tram network are not well connected stations," he said, describing them as "bus stops on rail." He added: "To suggest we can build nearly 6,000 homes on the back of that is just not going to work, particularly without any investment."
Infrastructure concerns and housing targets
Perry's concerns were echoed by Stephen Cowan, Leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Council, who said poor transport provision meant parts of South London were "still about 100 years behind places in North and West London." Perry also questioned how homes could be built on the green belt without major investment in roads, electricity, gas, and water. "The reality is there is nothing there," he said. "We already have issues with water pressure across the borough, we are seeing our water pressure depleting by the day."
Perry called for an "infrastructure first" model, with major investment provided before housing is built. He argued that brownfield and stalled sites with planning permission should be prioritised before green belt land is considered. "If we're not careful and suddenly distract and move away to the green belt we will also be taking away regeneration opportunities for our town centres," he told the committee. He also called for a less directive London Plan, arguing that councils understand their own areas better than City Hall.
Affordable housing and biodiversity requirements
Under the draft plan, green belt developments would need to meet a higher affordable housing standard of 50 per cent to be approved. Developments would also need to protect the landscape, deliver biodiversity net gain, and provide an average of three hectares of new or newly accessible green space for every 1,000 residents. However, Perry said the green belt "provides eco-diversity around our places, it's that block on development, it's that urban sprawl being stopped by the green belt."
Croydon Council announced its opposition to the plans in July, stating: "By 2025, London boroughs had already approved planning permission for more than 300,000 homes across the capital. The council believes this shows that simply allocating more land and increasing housing targets will not solve London's housing shortage." Perry concluded: "Whilst I am Mayor, Croydon Council will always stand up for our green belt and for the right of local communities to shape the places where they live."
Croydon Council has submitted its opposition to the draft London Plan ahead of the October 15 consultation deadline.
