Boris seeks 9,000 homes to meet goal
Councils across London have been asked to deliver 40,917 affordable homes by 2011, leaving the mayor 9,083 short of his original goal.
Boris Johnson had initially pledged to deliver 50,000 affordable homes by 2011, but last year he put the target back until 2012, blaming economic pressures.
Affordable housing delivery targets for each of London’s 33 boroughs for 2008 to 2011 have now been published by the mayor, totalling 40,917.
All of these have been agreed between the mayor and the boroughs, with the exception of Bromley’s target, which has not been formally agreed, and Tower Hamlet’s target, which was agreed with the government.
The figures are contained in the mayor’s first London Housing Strategy, which has been issued in its completed form following a lengthy consultation.
This sets out the 50,000 home target, and abolishes previous mayor Ken Livingstone’s goal that 50 per cent of all new housing should be affordable. Of the 50,000 homes, 40 per cent will be intermediate housing, and 60 per cent will be for social rent.
The strategy states 16 per cent of intermediate homes should have three or more bedrooms, by 2011, and re-states the 2008 requirement that 42 per cent of social rented homes should be of this size.
The mayor sets out a range of other policies in the document, including the pledge to end rough sleeping by 2012, raise the household income threshold for intermediate housing to £74,000, tackle overcrowding, and improve the design of homes and support for the private rented sector.
The strategy also includes plans to improve the quality of social housing, and to bring empty homes back into use. It states no more than 1 per cent of homes should stand empty for more than six months.
Mr Johnson said: ‘Good quality housing is the backbone of any great city and despite the recent economic maelstroms we remain on course to deliver a record number of affordable, quality homes.’
Belinda Porich, head of London at the National Housing Federation, said: ‘We welcome the mayor’s support for affordable housing and his public commitment to the need for high quality housing in the capital.’
Borough affordable housing delivery targets, 2008-11
Barking and Dagenham 1,785
Barnet 2,269
Bexley 566
Brent 1,600
Bromley* 795
Camden 1,000
City of London 50
Croydon 1,803
Ealing 1,065
Enfield 648
Greenwich 1,825
Hackney 1,779
Hammersmith and Fulham 967
Haringey 1,115
Harrow 656
Havering 800
Hillingdon 598
Hounslow 730
Islington 1,902
Kensington and Chelsea 270
Kingston upon Thames 420
Lambeth 1,803
Lewisham 1,395
Merton 315
Newham 2,300
Redbridge 650
Richmond upon Thames 398
Southwark 2,453
Sutton 660
Tower Hamlets** 5,064
Waltham Forest 1,090
Wandsworth 1,221
Westminster 925
Total 40,917
* Original target proposed to Bromley by the mayor, not formally agreed
** Local area agreement target agreed with the government
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Readers' comments (1)
Bannside | 02/03/2010 1:34 pm
The London Housing Strategy plans for empty property to be returned to use. The Mayor has provided a large pot of funding to ensure this happens. However, are London Authorities using all the powers available to them to returned wasted empty properties to use? Only four London Boroughs have applied for Interim Empty Dwelling Management Orders since they were introduced in the Housing Act 2004. Only one London Borough, Bromley, has made a Final Empty Dwelling Management Order. With an shortage of housing why is the waste of leaving properties empty for no good reason allowed to continue?
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