Building homes on the green belt is just one option which will be considered to address Croydon’s housing crisis.

Next month (November) Croydon Council will launch public consultation on a review of the local plan.

The aim of the review is to address the need for 46,040 new homes to be built in the borough by 2039 and where these should be built.

There are three options, which are:

Building more homes in the suburbs, particularly in areas within walking distance of train stations. Up to 14,000 of these would be expected to be in central Croydon.

A ‘total rethink’ of Purley Way to provide 12,000 new homes. £300,000 of funding has already been secured to come up with a master plan for this.

Limited release of the green belt. This includes land in New Addington, Selsdon and Sanderstead.

The third option seems to be the most controversial but cabinet member for regeneration Councillor Paul Scott said  that some residents’ groups had asked the council to look into it as an option as they are concerned about the level of change needed in their neighbourhoods.

At a cabinet meeting on Monday, (October 21), he said: “As part of the consultation we will release likely housing targets for each location in the borough.

“We felt it was important to identify the potential change in each of these areas.

“I think this needs to be a very honest conversation. We have very difficult issues that we as a community need to address, including a climate emergency and a housing crisis.”

But Councillor Jason Perry said that a loss of green belt would impact on biodiversity in the borough.

He said: “The paper suggests that there will be changes in character, I think in some parts of the borough that would be the decimation of character.

“We talk about the sustainability of development, is building on green belt sustainable? It questions this council’s commitment to the climate change emergency.”

The consultation will open in November and close on January 8, during this time there will be public events explaining the options and an ‘urban room’ in the Whitgift Centre with the proposals.

The proposed submission date is August 2020 and a revised plan is set to be adopted in 2022.