London council slams Sadiq Khan over demand to build thousands of new homes on green belt

A London council is rallying against a City Hall plan that it says will “decimate” its green belt.In Sir Sadiq Khan’s draft London Plan, Hillingdon town hall was asked to build more than 24,000 homes.But Conservative council leader Steve Tuckwell argued that his borough had been "singled out". He told the Standard: “The point is, we know we need homes. But we can't decimate the greenbelt.“It is what makes our borough unique. “We’re responding to the plan by saying ‘let’s be sensible’. We know we have sites where we can put new homes. “But City Hall is saying ‘there’s a space, build on it’. We are encouraging as many of our residents to respond so we don’t see our cherished green belt destroyed.”Under the Mayor of London’s plan, Hillingdon is asked to build 14,750 new homes on greenfield sites over the next ten years and a further 9,280 on brownfield land. City Hall’s deputy mayor of London for planning and regeneration, Jules Pipe, has said the target is "deliverable" and "not disproportionate".Mayor of London Sir Sadiq KhanPASir Sadiq’s London Plan covers issues including planning, housing and economic growth until 2037. The current draft, which is under consultation, predicts London's boroughs should be building 558,000 homes over the next decade.This is less than the 85,000 homes a year the Government has said the capital needs. But the plan states that the target is “based upon an assessment of what could be feasibly deliverable” in the city over the next ten years.Mr Tuckwell said: “We have been asked to build much more than neighbouring boroughs. We have been singled out.“The other thing the London Plan is very weak on is Heathrow expansion. “The third runway will mean you have to demolish 1,000 homes in Hillingdon. That has not been taken into account. “Now I know that is a long way off and hasn’t been approved, but the London Plan should at least take account of it.Read More“We will get our response to City Hall ready over the coming weeks and push back.”