News from Steve O'Connell (past staff): Disused site action plan could deliver 10k London homes in 10 years

· New research identifies 4,552 disused sites and spaces in just 13 London boroughs
· Self-building pilot on 100 sites will help young professionals and first time buyers

4,552 redundant spaces and sites in blocks and estates – such as old laundries, garages and store sheds – have been identified across just 13 boroughs of London.

A new report, “Gap In The Market”, sets out a large scale ‘disused site’ action plan – across all housing estates in every borough – which could deliver 10k homes in 10 years.

One of the key recommendations is for a city-wide pilot of 100 sites for self-builders, such as young professionals and first time buyers, to build and renovate new homes on.

Identified capacity of sites and spaces across 13 London Boroughs

GLA Conservative London Assembly Member, and author of the report, Steve O’Connell said:

We need an urgent, mass scale, coordinated effort to turn the thousands of redundant spaces in blocks and estates into housing. A huge part of this is encouraging people to build their own homes. Some quick research for my report shows that it’s possible to build a well-insulated, energy efficient home for less than 50k. The opportunity to build homes on a shoestring budget will help the likes of young professionals and first time buyers who may otherwise struggle with hefty deposits. What self-builders need is the land to build on – I have identified over 4,000 disused sites and spaces across just 13 boroughs of London, and I’m urging the Mayor of London to initially pilot self-building on 100 of these spaces.

My action plan also involves every borough identifying their disused sites and spaces, putting them into their next available housing delivery plan, and getting the Mayor to scrutinise them. If all boroughs fully explore this potential we could deliver at least 10k homes in 10 years. Let’s get started.