Havering Tops London’s Worst Green Belt Threats in CPRE Report

Key Points

• More than fifty of London’s parks and green spaces face serious threat from development and commercialisation, as detailed in a stark new report by CPRE London.
• Some sites have been saved since CPRE London’s last warning two years ago, but far too many have been lost, with others under imminent threat and new locations now targeted.
• Havering is singled out as one of the worst-affected boroughs, with four specific Green Belt and open land sites under threat: Lodge Farm, Baldwins Farm, Benets Road, and a proposed data centre in North Ockendon.
• Worst-hit boroughs Bromley, Greenwich, and Havering each have four or more sites under threat.
• At least nine parks, eight playing fields, and eight nature reserves are at risk, including notable sites such as Whitewebbs Park, Wimbledon Park, and Greendale Park.
• Six green spaces were saved last year, including the pitches at Finsbury Leisure Centre, but seven were lost, including Crossness Nature Reserve.
• Alice Roberts of CPRE London highlighted new challenges: a legal judgement confirming councils’ unfettered powers to sell parks, parks being turned into commercial event spaces, and the UK government’s ‘grey belt’ policy enabling landowners to develop protected countryside despite available brownfield land.
• Councils are urged to act as custodians of public rights over parks, with calls to tighten laws and end the ‘grey belt’ policy threatening Green Belt farmland.
• Dame Judi Dench, supporter of the Guardians of Whitewebbs campaign, noted that ten percent of public land in Britain has been lost since 1979, specifically citing threats to Whitewebbs Park in Enfield, including the butchering of a 450-year-old oak tree and plans to fell 207 trees for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club’s development.
• Havering Campaigners criticised Havering Council, stating the borough’s inclusion as one of the worst offenders is not a proud legacy, especially given the administration’s manifesto pledge to protect the Green Belt and spaces, with specific threats to Lodge Farm, Baldwins Farm, the North Ockendon data centre, and Benets Road.

Havering (East London Times) January 22, 2026 – A damning new report from CPRE London has named Havering as one of London’s worst offenders for threats to Green Belt and open spaces, with over fifty parks and green areas across the capital now facing development and commercialisation pressures. The report highlights four Havering sites—Lodge Farm, Baldwins Farm, Benets Road, and a proposed data centre in North Ockendon—as particularly vulnerable, placing the borough alongside Bromley and Greenwich as the most affected areas. While some spaces have been saved since the group’s previous assessment two years ago, losses continue to outpace protections, raising alarms over the future of London’s green heritage.

Why Is Havering Highlighted as a Worst Offender?

CPRE London’s report explicitly identifies Havering, Bromley, and Greenwich as the boroughs with four or more sites under threat, marking them as the hardest hit. In Havering, the threatened locations include Lodge Farm, Baldwins Farm, Benets Road, and a proposed data centre in North Ockendon, all part of the Green Belt or open land designated for protection. Havering Campaigners, as quoted in local coverage, described this spotlight as

“not a great accolade for Havering Council,”

emphasising that “this is not a legacy to be proud of.” They further noted,

“This is not what we consider as protecting our precious Green Belt and spaces, as the current administration’s manifesto pledged,”

directly referencing the report’s detailing of these four examples among many threats.

The Campaign For The Protection of Rural England’s findings, available in their full report, underscore that Havering’s situation exemplifies broader failures to safeguard rural and open areas despite political commitments. Local activists have linked this to a pattern of development pressures that contradict stated pledges, positioning Havering as a focal point for campaigners seeking stronger enforcement.

What Are the Key Findings Across London’s Green Spaces?

The CPRE London report reveals over 50 sites under threat, encompassing Green Belt, Metropolitan Open Land, parks, recreation grounds, sports fields, nature reserves, and other green spaces. Specific risks include at least nine parks, eight playing fields, and eight nature reserves, with prominent examples such as Whitewebbs Park, Wimbledon Park, and Greendale Park. Progress is mixed: six green spaces were saved last year, including the pitches at Finsbury Leisure Centre, but seven were lost, notably Crossness Nature Reserve.

These figures paint a picture of ongoing attrition, where gains are overshadowed by losses and emerging dangers. The report’s comprehensive mapping shows new locations entering the “firing line” even as some battlegrounds from two years prior were secured, signalling no respite for London’s green infrastructure.

Who Is Speaking Out Against These Threats?

Alice Roberts of CPRE London provided a forceful commentary on the evolving challenges. As reported across sources covering the launch, she stated:

“In the past two years, we’ve faced two new challenges. Almost unbelievably, a legal judgement confirmed that councils have unfettered powers to sell parks. Elsewhere, parks are being turned into commercial event spaces. If you think London’s parks are protected, think again.”

Roberts continued, addressing government policy:

“Second, the UK government has caved in to lobbying to remove Green Belt protection, introducing a ‘grey belt’ policy enabling landowners to cash-in on protected countryside land they bought cheaply years ago, despite widescale availability of brownfield land in London, including a staggering 300,000 homes with planning permission unbuilt.”

She called for reform, asserting:

“Councils are the custodians of public rights over parks. The law must be tightened so councils cannot treat them as financial assets to sell or rent when times are tough. We are also calling for an end to damaging ‘grey belt’ policy which is threatening Green Belt farmland.”

Dame Judi Dench, supporting the Guardians of Whitewebbs campaign for Enfield’s threatened park, amplified the urgency. She remarked:

“Staggeringly, ten percent of public land in Britain has been lost since 1979. Whitewebbs Park in Enfield is one of the public parks currently under threat. There a 450 year-old oak tree was brutally butchered and Spurs’ plans to develop the park involve cutting down 207 trees, including veteran and mature trees, and taking over most of the park for their elite private use.”

Dench concluded:

“It is absolutely essential for us to protect these trees and people’s access to nature. Campaign to Protect Rural England London (CPRE London) is assisting the fight to save Whitewebbs and other sites currently under threat and it is clear to me that it is more important than ever to protect our parks and green spaces, before it’s too late.”

Havering Campaigners echoed these sentiments locally, stating:

“The Campaign For The Protection of Rural England have [produced a report] which details the many green areas of London which are under threat. Havering is mentioned in the report as being one of the worst offenders, giving four examples of many where there is a threat to our own Green Belt/spaces; Lodge Farm, Baldwins Farm, Data Centre in North Ockendon, and Benets Road.”

How Have Sites Fared Since the Last Report?

Two years on from CPRE London’s previous warning, the landscape shows partial successes amid greater losses. Six green spaces were rescued, such as the pitches at Finsbury Leisure Centre, demonstrating that concerted action can prevail. However, seven sites were irretrievably lost, including Crossness Nature Reserve, while many others linger in peril and entirely new threats have materialised.

This balance—or lack thereof—underscores the report’s core alarm: protections are insufficient against mounting development interests. The pattern reveals a city where green assets are treated as expendable, with saved sites serving as exceptions rather than the rule.

What New Challenges Are Emerging for London’s Parks?

Alice Roberts pinpointed two pivotal developments since the last report. Firstly, a legal judgement has affirmed councils’ “unfettered powers to sell parks,” coupled with trends of converting them into commercial event spaces, eroding their public character. Secondly, the ‘grey belt’ policy, introduced after government capitulation to lobbying, permits development on land bought cheaply decades ago, ignoring abundant brownfield alternatives capable of housing 300,000 permitted homes.

These shifts challenge long-held assumptions of permanence for London’s green lungs. Roberts’ call frames councils as stewards obliged to prioritise public access over fiscal expediency, urging legislative safeguards to prevent parks becoming “financial assets.”

Why Does Whitewebbs Park Exemplify the Crisis?

Whitewebbs Park in Enfield, targeted for lease to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, stands as a flashpoint. Dame Judi Dench detailed the stakes: a 450-year-old oak tree “brutally butchered,” with plans to remove 207 trees, many veteran or mature, to prioritise “elite private use.” This case, backed by CPRE London, illustrates how sports commercialisation can subsume public parks, restricting access and destroying natural features.

The Guardians of Whitewebbs campaign, with Dench’s endorsement, positions the site as emblematic of wider encroachments. It highlights how local decisions amplify national trends, turning communal assets into privatised venues.

What Do Campaigners Demand from Councils and Government?

Across statements, demands coalesce around stronger protections. CPRE London seeks tightened laws to curb councils’ sale or rental of parks during fiscal strain, alongside scrapping the ‘grey belt’ policy to shield farmland. Havering Campaigners invoke the local manifesto’s protection pledge, decrying current trajectories as a betrayal.

Dame Judi Dench stresses immediate action to avert irreversible loss, aligning with CPRE’s support for beleaguered sites. Collectively, these voices advocate custodianship over exploitation, brownfield prioritisation, and reversal of permissive policies.

Broader Implications for London’s Green Future

The report’s tally—over 50 sites at risk—signals a tipping point for London’s green spaces, with boroughs like Havering bearing disproportionate brunt. Losses since 1979, as Dench notes, compound the urgency, while brownfield neglect exacerbates pressures on protected land. As development intensifies, the interplay of legal, policy, and commercial forces tests the resilience of urban nature.

Havering’s four flagged sites crystallise local stakes within this metropolis-wide struggle. Campaigners’ resolve, bolstered by figures like Roberts and Dench, aims to rally public and political will before further erosion occurs. The report, released amid January 2026’s winter chill, serves as a clarion call for stewardship in a city where green spaces remain vital for wellbeing and biodiversity.