The next meeting of the London Green Belt Council Executive Committee is to be held at 70 Cowcross Street on Wednesday 15 March, 2:30 – 4:30pm prior to the Full Council meeting to be held in the evening. The Meeting Agenda can be found here. The Minutes of the last Committee Meeting, held on November 23 2016 can be found here. … Read more
The Next Full Council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 15 March from 6.30-8.30pm in Committee Room 17, The Palace of Westminster. The agenda can be found here … Read more
In the recent Queen’s speech, the government’s pre-election commitment to protect the Green Belt was reiterated but with little further detail. However, in partnership with eight CPRE branches in and surrounding London, the London Green Belt Council (LGBC) has just published a map of the extensive threats from development to London’s Green Belt. It shows nearly 200 threatened sites along with proposals to build 118,000 homes. There is a clear mismatch between the government’s commitment to protect our Green Belt and the impact of its policies on the ground. We believe that our MPs will want to understand this mismatch so … Read more
Alice Roberts of CPRE London, a member of the London Green Belt Council, appeared on London Live news in April talking about the welcome commitments from London Mayoral candidates to protect London’s Green Belt. But Alice also pointed to the Prime Minister’s pre-election promise that the ‘Green Belt will be safe with us’, which she said has not been adhered to, and that CPRE London would be monitoring green belt planning referrals to the new Mayor to ensure promises are kept. … Read more
Richard Knox-Johnston’s letter, responding to an article by Juliet Samuel “We are being strangled by the Green Belt” was published in the Saturday Telegraph 23 April 2016 … Read more
Richard Knox-Johnston attended a high profile event held by the RTPI in the run up to the London Mayoral 2016 election. Raising questions from the floor, Richard challenged the idea that London’s Green Belt must be released for housing to be built on it, pointing out that many thousands of houses which have been granted planning permission are waiting to be built, that there are plenty of brownfield sites aside.
It was standing room only at the Epping Society meeting on the Green Belt, as an audience of over 200 people engaged with presentations by Richard Knox Johnston, Chair of the London Green Belt Council, Eleanor Lang, the Local MP and other representatives from Epping District and Town Councils. Despite many Local residents stated that they were anxious regarding the future of the Green Belt many also commented that it was great to see such passion and support for it. The Epping Forest Guardian had this to say. … Read more
Richard Knox-Johnston, Chair of the London Green Belt Council, wrote to the London Evening Standard: “Further to the report A garden of one’s own, Tom Papworth is misguided in his thinking on the Green Belt. “First, we already have excellent high density housing of 100 homes per hectare in London which is not high rise. They are the Georgian and Edwardian squares in Kensington and Chelsea which are very popular places to live. So not all dwellings have to be skyscrapers. Second, building on Green Belt land would provide expensive homes because they are built in the Green Belt, so … Read more
Richard Knox Johnston, Chair of the LGBC and a Trustee of CPRE Kent which is also a member of LGBC, has met with MPs in Kent to discuss planning issues. The focus of discussions was landbanking – the process by which developers are holding back building homes on acquired sites to help boost profits – and the impact of unrealistic housing targets.
The Conservative candidate for London Mayor has pledged his support to local campaigners at Save Oakfield Site. In a visit to the iconic Oakfield Sports Ground he supported calls to prevent these highly valued playing fields being sold off by the Council for development through its local plan. … Read more