‘I make it a virtue, I’ve changed my mind’: Khan talks up his green belt U-turn, but where might new homes be built?

By Daniel Gayne2025-05-16T06:00:00

When politicians break their promises, they generally try to downplay the matter. But delivering a set piece speech atop an exposed construction platform in Kidbrooke Village, under a beating sun and several storeys above the ground, Sadiq Khan had clearly decided to own this particular U-turn.

For years, the mayor of London has promised to protect the capital’s green belt. Then, in his big speech on Friday, he announced that all that was set to change. Launching a consultation which will lead to a draft for the next London Plan, Khan announced that his office was going to “actively explore” development on select areas of the green belt.

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