Slums of the Future: Permitted Development conversions in London

London has been long suffering from a housing crisis and is in desperate need for more affordable homes.

The Mayor’s new London Plan sets out a requirement of 65,000 new homes per year, of which 65% need to be affordable. Yet these numbers have not been achieved for decades.

The Government has proposed that part of the solution to this is to “speed up” the planning system by expanding Permitted Development Rights, allowing conversions of buildings to residential use without going through the full planning process.

This has had disastrous consequences for London. Many Permitted Development homes are incredibly small and of poor quality, exacerbating the already huge issue of overcrowding.