The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is fulfilling his pledge to Londoners to protect the capital's Green Belt by refusing planning permission for a development that would encroach on green space in the city.
In one of his first planning moves, the Mayor reaffirmed his commitment to oppose building on Green Belt land by rejecting plans for a three-storey football stadium and blocks of flats in Chislehurst.
The development, which included building a football stadium for Cray Wanderers Football Club, community sports pitches and two four-storey residential blocks of 28 flats, had been approved by Bromley Council. However, after carrying out a detailed assessment, the Mayor believes the plans would cause significant harm to an area of much needed open green space. He was also concerned the application at Flamingo Park Club included no affordable housing.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I am determined to oppose building on the Green Belt, which is now even more important than when it was created.
“Working with my planning team, I will continue to use my full range of planning powers to further strengthen protections for open and green spaces in the London Plan and ensure we are making the most of brownfield sites across the city, including the vast swathes of public land which are ripe for building homes for Londoners.”
The Mayor has also used his planning powers to give consent to several schemes, boosting housing supply in the capital and he is keen to work with boroughs, developers and housing associations to work towards the 50,000 homes London needs each year.
Sadiq Khan said: “I want to work with developers to build the homes London so desperately needs and I will be the first Mayor to use my planning powers to much greater effect, supporting boroughs rather than hindering them, and getting a firm grip on the housing crisis.”
Notes to editors
The application at Flamingo Park in Chislehurst included the demolition of existing buildings and the erection of a three-storey football stadium with community sports pitches, relocation of three existing football pitches, two four-storey residential blocks comprising 28 two bedroom flats and overground car parking for 393 cars and bicycle parking.
For full details of the planning application, see: https://www.london.gov.uk/WHAT-WE-DO/PLANNING/PLANNING-APPLICATIONS-AND-DECISIONS/direction-refuse-applications-0.