London is the worst city in England for planning delays on affordable housing, according to the country's largest housing association. Clarion Housing Group, which manages 125,000 homes across the UK, says planning officials in London are taking more than two years to approve social housing developments, while cities like Manchester, York, and Leeds take around a year.
Severe delays in the capital
Clare Miller, chief executive of Clarion, described the delays in London as "very severe." This is despite London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan's pledge to prioritise social housing in the capital.
Clarion builds an average of 1,400 homes each year. The group said it waited 26 months to secure permission for a 249-home development in the London Borough of Merton. Last year, a 145-home social housing project in Tower Hamlets took 21 months to approve.
Comparison with other cities
In contrast, a 505-home project at Brewery Gardens in Manchester, which included 60 per cent affordable housing, took just 11 months to secure. Similar projects in York and Leeds took 13 months and 18 months respectively.
Ms Miller said: "We are developing all over the country. Certainly in Manchester, we got planning permission pretty quickly. That's a system that's resourced and where politicians are behind it and they want to see action."
National issue or London-specific?
Ms Miller claimed London planning authorities were not suitably equipped to handle the number of applications. However, Edward Clarke, an associate director at planning consultancy Lichfields, said delays are a nationwide problem. He told the Telegraph that "determination periods in general nationwide are quite frankly crippling."
Clarke noted that lengthy approval times mean construction costs and other calculations become outdated. "Things that you thought were viable become no longer viable," he said.
The Greater London Authority has been falling behind its goals for affordable housing and wider housebuilding targets set by the government. Reforms were announced in May to help housing industry and councils deliver more homes in the capital.
