The Council has completed its own grey belt assessment in Bexley as the first stage of a green belt review as required by the Government. The assessment will help inform future planning decisions with the aim of protecting our green spaces and preventing environmentally damaging urban sprawl.

Our decision will preserve planning protections for the vast majority of Bexley’s green belt, including Hall Place, Foots Cray Meadows, Crayford Marshes and Sidcup Place.

The review found that 16% of Bexley’s green belt land met the Government’s definition of grey belt. These sites are predominantly not green or open spaces and are already developed, including Queen Mary’s Hospital, housing, businesses and schools on the edges of the green belt.

Grey belt spaces within the green belt are not automatically developable. Development remains inappropriate unless certain criteria are met and more in-depth assessments are required before a final decision is made either as part of the Local Plan process or a planning application submission.

The Mayor of London is also undertaking a London-wide green belt review as part of preparing his London Plan. This is a high-level study and will inform housing targets across London. Both the local and strategic assessments are required as a result of the government’s planning reforms.

In response to the consultation on these reforms, Bexley Council opposed plans that would result in inappropriate development in the green belt.

Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economic Growth & Infrastructure, Cllr Cameron Smith, said:

In May, Bexley residents voted to protect our Borough’s green spaces. The decision we are taking today will protect the vast majority of our green belt for future generations, including much-loved places such as Foots Cray Meadows and Hall Place.

We do not agree with the Government’s grey belt approach. It’s flawed, ambiguous and open to abuse. We’ve already seen developers attempt to argue that farmers’ fields and nature conservation areas in Bexley are grey belt.

The Mayor of London’s review also threatens to designate parks, farmland and playgrounds with no previous development as grey belt.

That’s why we have published our own review: to stop speculative applications and ensure our precious open and green spaces remain protected."

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