00:00We clearly face an extraordinary challenge but I'm determined to give everything we've got
00:07with a radical step change in our approach. In the short term this means accelerating delivery
00:14and unlocking developments that should have started already. At City Hall we've heard loud
00:20and clear the concerns from house builders about the building safety regulator causing
00:26unnecessary delays. So we'll work with the government to do everything we can to speed up the process.
00:34I also want to see local planning becoming much more flexible and focused on rapidly increasing
00:43the rate of building. It's vital that borrowers take a pragmatic approach to get permissions granted
00:50and when I don't see that happening I'll use my calling powers as mayor. My message to you
00:56house builders is this. I know how hard it is to build in London right now and I want to work together
01:05to do what's needed to get more shovels in the ground over the weeks and months ahead. In the medium term
01:12the development of the new London plan provides the opportunity for a new bold approach. Part of the
01:20solution will be making better use of the land we have, taking opportunities to increase the density
01:27of housing developments and working with councils and others to secure as many new homes as we can
01:34on brownfield sites. We have to be honest, we have to be honest with Londoners that this alone will not be
01:42sufficient to meet our needs and that's why I'm announcing today that City Hall's new position will be
01:52to actively explore the release of parts of London's green belt for development. Look, I know this is a
02:02contentious issue. So let me set out my reasoning and the wider context. London's green belt is the
02:11largest in the UK, covering over over half a million hectares. This makes it three times, three times as
02:21big as London itself. Within the London boundary we have the highest percentage of land designated as green
02:30belt of any city in England, just over a fifth. The perception of many people is that it's all beautiful
02:38countryside, green and pleasant land, rich with wildlife. The reality is very different. You know, only
02:46around 13% is made up of parks and areas that the public can access. 13%. So given the quality of parts of
02:56London's green belt and the extent of the housing crisis, I believe the current position is wrong,
03:04out of date and simply unsustainable. Development on carefully chosen areas of the green belt done in the
03:13right way would allow us to unlock hundreds of thousands of new homes. This would not only go a long
03:20way to ending the housing crisis, but provide a huge boost to our economy. And as mayor, I'm not willing
03:28to ignore such a prospect just because it might be politically difficult. Not when the life chances
03:35of the next generation of Londoners is on the line. Of course, national funding for housing and
03:42transfer infrastructure will play a pivotal role in our approach. Lastly, I want to make clear that I
03:49remain proud to be the greenest mayor London has ever had. And I don't see what I'm announcing today
03:57as running contrary to this. We have a strong record of building low carbon homes in London and helping
04:05to conserve and expand nature as part of our developments. Now let's work together to achieve
04:12something truly ambitious, delivering the housing we need while enhancing the environment and making
04:18London greener than ever before. Let me finish with this. My position on the green belt has changed
04:29because I believe this moment demands change. And I ask Londoners whose gut instincts might be against
04:37this solution to keep an open mind, to look at the latest evidence and to think about the damage
04:45this housing crisis is doing, the misery it's causing and the consequence of letting it drag down a
04:52generation of young people and the generation of young people that we have a responsibility to lift up.
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