Residents in Kingston staged a protest outside the Guildhall on June 22 against proposed guidelines for building nearly 20,000 new homes over the next 15 years. The Liberal Democrat-run council agreed to move ahead with the final draft of its new Local Plan, which will guide housing and infrastructure development until 2043, following years of delay.
Plan details and resident concerns
The plan outlines the construction of almost 20,000 properties on proposed sites, including Metropolitan Open Land (MOL) and the green belt, from its anticipated adoption in 2028. Residents raised concerns about the suitability of sites, those deemed appropriate for tall buildings, and sites proposed to be released from the green belt or MOL. They said the authority had not given locals or councillors enough time to scrutinise supporting information, which was published thousands of pages at short notice.
Council's delay and legal requirements
Kingston’s current Local Plan was adopted in 2012, despite the council initially promising to publish a new plan by late 2021 or early 2022. Councils in England are legally required to review their Local Plan at least every five years, and update it if no longer effective. The delay means Kingston lacks an updated plan to meet housing needs, earmark development sites, and set out infrastructure and environmental protections. The borough now faces a “presumption in favour of sustainable development,” making it harder to refuse planning applications.
Political criticism and responses
Independent councillor James Giles said the borough must provide housing, but that did not mean “we should accept any version of any Local Plan”. He accused the administration of blaming others and said the plan lacked a sound evidence base. Conservative councillor Ian George accused the administration of “hiding from scrutiny” by publishing information at short notice. James Stanton, from Kingston Labour, said the council had left Kingston an “easy target” for developers, stating: “Given there is clearly no excuse for blaming the GLA or Government for this council’s singular failure to do its job, as so many other London boroughs have achieved what Lib Dem Kingston has not, Kingston’s residents deserve to know why its council has been asleep at the wheel and left it open to predatory and inappropriate development for so long.”
Council's defence and vote
Lib Dem councillor Andrew Wooldridge said the process was delayed by national planning policy changes and that the plan was informed by “consultation, technical evidence, independent assessment and extensive officer work”. He added: “Kingston has gone far too long without an up-to-date Local Plan. The reality is that growth will continue to come to Kingston. Housing need does not disappear because we choose not to plan for it.” Lib Dem council leader Andreas Kirsch said national policy changes forced the authority to reclassify some lower-quality green belt land as ‘grey belt’. He described the plan as “a positive vision for Kingston” that protects the borough’s character, heritage, environment, green belt, high streets, jobs, culture, and communities. The council voted 38 in favour, three against, and two abstaining to proceed with publishing the final draft for public consultation from July 6 to September 4. The plan will then be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for examination and a decision on final approval, aiming for adoption by 2028.
