Richborough was recently represented by Alex Sciarretta, Group Land Director, at the London Planning and Development Forum, held at the London School of Economics.
As one of four sessions, the Green Belt Research section centred on the Metropolitan Green Belt and London’s housing policy. Alex outlined the historic role of the Green Belt in preventing urban sprawl and reflected on how portions of it have been gradually released over time. He highlighted the increasing challenge of meeting housing targets, particularly the dramatic decline in housing starts, from 40,000 to just 7,000 in 2024 and explored how affordable housing requirements are placing pressure on scheme viability.
A key point of debate was the 50% affordable housing requirement on Green Belt sites, which remains a key issue on viability, particularly for smaller developers. While some contributors argued that it places too great a strain on developers, others insisted it remains necessary given the scale of housing need.
The Forum also considered potential reforms to Green Belt policy and the wider delivery model, including calls for greater government involvement in housing procurement to reduce dependence on market-driven mechanisms.
Alex commented:
“There was a strong sense that the situation on housing delivery and the pipeline for smaller sites and SMEs has deteriorated from a pretty dire place five years ago to be even worse now, with successive Governments failing to act. Despite the pro-development stance of this Government, the issue we now have is that it will take so long to rectify.”
The Forum also explored broader political risks, questioning whether the Government could face electoral consequences if it fails to respond to local sentiment on growth plans, alongside reflections on London’s ageing population and evolving office market.