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Outer London councils hit out at Khan’s plans for housebuilding boost
Conservative-controlled outer London boroughs have hit out at Sadiq Khan’s draft London Plan, with one borough leader claiming his housing policies could “scar and degrade” its neighbourhoods.
The mayor plans to deliver more than 250,000 new homes in the capital’s 13 outer suburbs, more than double the current rate.
Roger Ramsey, leader of Havering Council, which is run by Conservatives and various independents, said: “With this plan the mayor appears to be waging war on suburban outer London boroughs like Havering.”
He said the plan neglected consequent infrastructure investment, would damage the green belt despite the mayor’s stated wish to protect it.
He also said the plan’s housing totals were “simply undeliverable and unachievable” and would harm neighbourhoods’ characters “by cramming buildings into small and unsuitable sites”.
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Colin Smith, leader of Conservative-controlled Bromley Council, said Mr Khan’s plan was “extremely bad news for Bromley”.
Mr Smith said the mayor’s proposal that “statutory housing targets should be more than doubled and that ‘garden grabbing’ should now be legalised – and indeed even actively encouraged to facilitate it – raises the very real threat of uncontrollable and inappropriate development of a type and nature which will scar and degrade the look and very soul of neighbourhoods across our borough forever”.
Kevin Davis, leader of Conservative-led Kingston upon Thames Council, was more conciliatory.
He said: “We welcome the mayor’s commitment to building homes and delegating decision-making to local authorities, but it is imperative that growth in Kingston must be sensitive and appropriate, with essential infrastructure in place to support development and for communities to flourish.”
Labour-controlled Enfield Council said the plan posed little problem provided the government supported new infrastructure in the Lea Valley.
“If we get Crossrail 2 and the expanded West Anglia mainline down there we could take 95,000 homes without touching the green belt,” a spokesperson said.
Mr Khan’s draft London Plan came out last week alongside borough-level targets that make up his overall target of 65,000 new homes a year.
A spokesperson for the mayor said: “Housing capacity in the draft London Plan is calculated in partnership with boroughs by estimating delivery from sites with planning permission and assessing other large sites for potential capacity.
“The targets include an estimate of the increase in housing delivery on small sites which can be achieved through policy changes in the new London Plan, including a new presumption in favour of small housing developments.”
The spokesperson added that all boroughs should play their part in building new homes, but this would require developers, housing associations, councils, government and communities to work together.
