The City Hall Conservatives have called on London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan to stop building high-rise flats in the capital, urging him to prioritise new family homes to help tackle the housing crisis.
A new report argues that building larger properties for families would free up smaller houses and flats for young professionals and students. It comes as the Mayor is proposing building up to 56,000 homes on the green belt in London in blocks of up to 10 storeys.
Tory assembly member warns of population decline
Tory London Assembly Member Andrew Boff said: “This is really, really worrying. London’s population fell for the first time in decades last year, and families are leaving the capital en masse because they cannot afford the housing they need.”
He added: “Meanwhile, planning changes to enable developers to bulldoze green spaces, and circumvent local councils - elected by residents - to put up developments look set to throw up tens of thousands of unsuitable properties which will not solve the issue. We need to stop building these high rises and start building the family homes that Londoners really need. I hope the Mayor will read my report and join our campaign to save London’s green spaces.”
Report calls for larger homes to address housing mismatch
The report argues that there is a “mismatch” between the homes being built and the homes needed. It claims developers are incentivised to build as many one or two-bed properties as they can due to targets focusing on “units” rather than “bedrooms”. It calls for three and four-bedroom homes to be prioritised to address housing pressures.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “Tackling London’s housing crisis is one of the Mayor’s top priorities and City Hall is working with London boroughs, housing associations, developers and others to deliver more homes of all tenures. The draft new London Plan aims to deliver a range of different sized homes to meet Londoners’ needs. The Mayor remains committed to improving access to good-quality green spaces for Londoners and has been clear that the next London Plan will continue to provide strong protections for the capital's strategically important green spaces.”
Boff warns of green belt loss and housing target flaws
In a comment piece, Boff highlighted that last year, for the first time since the 1980s, the population of London shrank. He argued that soaring rents and mortgages and cramped housing are forcing families out of the capital. He noted that the national housing target for London is now 88,000 homes per year, but it does not specify what type of homes, so developers are encouraged to build a sea of one and two-bedroom flats stacked in high rises.
Boff explained that building a six-bed family home in London could meet the housing needs of as many as 36 people, while a one-bed just solves the needs of one person. He criticised the Mayor’s draft London Plan for earmarking up to 56,000 homes on greenbelt land, saying that parks could be bulldozed for high rises that are no good to families. He called for a housing target that prioritises bedrooms over front doors and urged support for his campaign to save green spaces.
