Green belt or grey belt? Disagreement between City Hall and Harrow means land open to 158 homes

Harrow Conservatives, who control the council, have started a petition to oppose the scheme

Plans to build 158 homes on land in North London have sparked concern over the targeting of the capital’s green belt, with opponents calling for the Mayor to clear up the ambiguity of what constitutes ‘grey belt’.

Harrow Council has designated the land as green belt but the Mayor has classed it as ‘grey belt’ in the draft London Plan – a term used to describe so-called ‘low quality’ green belt land which Sir Sadiq Khan has said can be released for development.

Developer Barwood Land has instigated a public consultation on proposals to build the new homes on land off Headstone Lane in Harrow. The site currently comprises former private playing fields and land between Broadfields and Pinner Park School.

Concerns have been raised about the potential impact on traffic, parking, and local services, as well as the protected status of the land. Local Conservative councillors have started a petition calling for clarity on its classification so it can be “protected and preserved”.

Earlier this year, the Conservative Group, which controls Harrow Council, reconfirmed the land’s designation as green belt and now claim this means development is “not appropriate” and the land should be “kept as green space”.

The Conservatives feel the grey belt designation “weakens its protected status” and has given developers the chance to “speculate on developing the site”. Barwood Land has now laid out its intentions to submit an outline planning application for the 158-home scheme in order to establish the principle of development, including where homes can be built, their proposed density, and access points.

According to the consultation, 50 per cent of the homes would be ‘affordable’, with the scheme including “a high percentage” of family-sized properties. The initial proposals also show that every home would have dedicated parking.

Planning advisor CarneySweeney, which is handling the consultation on behalf of Barwood Land, has stated: “The proposals include a large area of open space, providing a buffer to the adjoining Pinner Park Farm, and to the south, to the Pinner Park Primary School.

“The open space will be publicly available and will incorporate play areas. The open space will provide opportunity for the new residents and surrounding community to connect with nature, promoting health and well-being.”

Barwood Land has begun engaging with Harrow Council and the Greater London Authority (GLA) to discuss the proposed development of the site. Feedback from these pre-application discussions and any comments from the public consultation “will be used to refine the plans as appropriate”, before a full application is submitted.

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