Planning for a better London
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1955 Londoners have responded | 09/05/2025 - 22/06/2025
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Discussion | Building more homes for Londoners
The Government has said London needs 88,000 new homes a year over the next decade to meet demand. The next London Plan will plan for 880,000 new homes, ten years’ supply. That’s far more than we have ever built before.
To ensure every Londoner can afford somewhere they can call home, the Mayor’s Planning team will need to explore all options. Help us make sure we get the balance right.
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Our preference will always be to build as many new homes as possible on brownfield sites. But this alone will not be enough. That’s why the Government has changed the national policy. This means exploring the release of parts of the green belt for development, particularly lower quality land. How would you feel about this?
If built in the right places - with good access to public transport - new developments and mid-rise buildings will deliver hundreds of thousands of new homes for Londoners. But most new development will need to be in flats rather than houses, to make sure there are enough homes for everyone. What do you think of this?
Developers must include a certain number of affordable homes in their new developments. The type of affordable homes currently depends on the type of housing development. The next London Plan could explore the possibility to include traditional affordable homes - like social rent homes- in any type of new housing development. What do you think of this? And what type of affordable homes do you think London needs most?
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Please also see and join our other discussion on 'Growing London's economy'.
The discussion ran from 09 May 2025 - 22 June 2025
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Community Member 2 months agoHousing is not just about new homes, it's about maintaining existing social housing to provide a decent standard of living. In Camden, social housing repairs fall so short of meeting minimum standards that the housing ombudsman delivered a...
Show full commentHousing is not just about new homes, it's about maintaining existing social housing to provide a decent standard of living. In Camden, social housing repairs fall so short of meeting minimum standards that the housing ombudsman delivered a damning report. Since the report was delivered new stories appear every week in the Camden New Journal detailing horror stories from frustrated residents trying to navigate a dysfunctional repairs service. The council has so far failed to deliver a turnaround. Politicians should reflect on the potential votes lost, if they can't be motivated to deliver improvements by doing the right thing for its residents.
Show less of commentPhilip Virgo
Community Member 2 months agoSame applies in Lambeth which also has more empty properties that it has people (excluding recent immigrants) on its housing list.
HenryG
Community Member 2 months agoThe Mayor's announcement to build on greenbelt is both shortsighted and dangerous.
RoyP
Community Member 2 months agoThat is putting it mildly! As I have said elsewhere, the green belt is sacrosanct and should not be touched - ever!
CamletMoat
Community Member 2 months agoThis is entirely driven by profit-seeking housing developers and because Labour thinks that building more homes (largely for people that don't even live in the UK) is a vote winner.
Show full commentThis is entirely driven by profit-seeking housing developers and because Labour thinks that building more homes (largely for people that don't even live in the UK) is a vote winner.
Show less of commentCroydon186
Community Member 2 months agoEmphasis has to be placed on building pproperties that are aaffordable to low and aaverage iincome families/individuals. Bbuilding uaffordable pproperties does nothing to ppromote ccommunity ddevelopment or future planning.
krlondon
Community Member 2 months agoHow about this: instead of concreting over green belt and expanding this overpopulated city more and more, deter more “development” of sprawling ugly estates and focus on population control
Show full commentHow about this: instead of concreting over green belt and expanding this overpopulated city more and more, deter more “development” of sprawling ugly estates and focus on population control
Show less of commentOofy
Community Member 2 months agoThe UK birth rate is already too low to replace the aging population. We already permit skilled workers from other countries to immigrate because otherwise the UK would be full of retired people who are too weak to work and there would not...
Show full commentThe UK birth rate is already too low to replace the aging population. We already permit skilled workers from other countries to immigrate because otherwise the UK would be full of retired people who are too weak to work and there would not be people to do the work.
I am not advocating concreting over the Green Belt, but Brownfield sites and Grey Belt should be used.
Show less of commentRainD
Community Member 2 months agoOlder Londoners especially over 50s should be allowed to join housing lists outside London. London is overcrowded but it's also more appealing for younger people
Show full commentOlder Londoners especially over 50s should be allowed to join housing lists outside London. London is overcrowded but it's also more appealing for younger people
Show less of commentCamletMoat
Community Member 2 months agoImmigrants get old too. We need managed population stabilisation, not a ponzi scheme based on importing people forever. Bringing in hundreds of thousands of people a year is insane and it is destroying the environment.
Show full commentImmigrants get old too. We need managed population stabilisation, not a ponzi scheme based on importing people forever. Bringing in hundreds of thousands of people a year is insane and it is destroying the environment.
Show less of commentantonybutcher
Community Member 2 months agoThere is no point building any new homes unless people can afford to buy them. The distorted housing market needs to be sorted out first. In my area houses are bought by landlords who then charge huge rents. Families can't afford them. My...
Show full commentThere is no point building any new homes unless people can afford to buy them. The distorted housing market needs to be sorted out first. In my area houses are bought by landlords who then charge huge rents. Families can't afford them. My own street has changed from family housing to multi-occupancy rented flats in the last 10 years.
Show less of commentThomasInTooting
Community Member 2 months agoWe have got to get building. London has done huge growth spurts before. Metroland was a good model. Build infrastructure, encourage development. The only way to solve the housing crisis is building a lot as quickly as possible. 90,000...
Show full commentWe have got to get building. London has done huge growth spurts before. Metroland was a good model. Build infrastructure, encourage development. The only way to solve the housing crisis is building a lot as quickly as possible. 90,000 chidden are homeless, people are hot-bedding, adults with good jobs can't afford to rent or buy a home of their own. The planning laws can be used to encourage building. Councils like wandsworth that block good developments should have the ability to refuse planning permission removed. The focus should shift to building quality and fit for habitation checks on existing stock, not having giant planning departments that slow down development.
Show less of commentCamletMoat
Community Member 2 months agoThere is no "housing crisis". There is an "immigration crisis". Importing hundreds of thousands of people every year obviously affects the need for housing and to deny this is delusional.
Show full commentThere is no "housing crisis". There is an "immigration crisis". Importing hundreds of thousands of people every year obviously affects the need for housing and to deny this is delusional.
Show less of commentFaramir
Community Member 2 months agoDon't make the "affordable housing" requirements so rigorous that it deters building. We need general housing to be more affordable, not just a few designated units, and that means building across the quality range.
We may have to be robust...
Show full commentDon't make the "affordable housing" requirements so rigorous that it deters building. We need general housing to be more affordable, not just a few designated units, and that means building across the quality range.
We may have to be robust in building higher rise buildings in the face of local objections in central areas where public transport is good and so a car is not necessary for family life.
Show less of commentClotho
Community Member 2 months agoLiving in London is a privilege, not a right. Instead of trying to shoehorn more houses into limited space, options like looking at new commuter cities for London to be created/developed - think Milton Keynes, tech or garden cities, where...
Show full commentLiving in London is a privilege, not a right. Instead of trying to shoehorn more houses into limited space, options like looking at new commuter cities for London to be created/developed - think Milton Keynes, tech or garden cities, where affordable homes can be built with careful planning, to eliminate dead zones, slums and create vibrant communities that people want to work in and live in.
Show less of commentRemember that there is an aspiration to own a home rather than just a flat - so consider many more single-build homes - it's lower density, but a perceived higher value for homes and communities. Houses don't have to necessarily be bigger to be better - you can build bungalows and terraced housing. High-density isn't always the answer.
As for house prices - eliminate empty properties by charging 200% council tax on 2nd/empty homes.
Encourage compulsory purchase of empty homes.
Encourage growth in areas of deprivation by creating regeneration areas - enhance and gentrify what you have, instead of endlessly building more.
Remember that if prices are too high, people will not buy - which will cause the prices to lower. It's the basic law of supply and demand. And right now, demand is outstripping supply.
RainD
Community Member 2 months agoIt isn't a privilege when low income Londoners don't have alternative options because only allowed to join housing lists in the area they're from. Londoners should be allowed to join housing lists outside London.
Show full commentIt isn't a privilege when low income Londoners don't have alternative options because only allowed to join housing lists in the area they're from. Londoners should be allowed to join housing lists outside London.
Show less of commentruby
Community Member 2 months agoThere are huge numbers of empty homes in London, some of which have never been lived in because they were bought as investment properties. There are also lots of homes which are unavailable because they are being used as AirBnBs or other...
Show full commentThere are huge numbers of empty homes in London, some of which have never been lived in because they were bought as investment properties. There are also lots of homes which are unavailable because they are being used as AirBnBs or other short-term lets. If much greater priority was given to addressing these issues, there would be less need to build so many new houses.
Show less of commenttalk_london_us…
Community Member 2 months agoAgreed. Every council should have a dedicated officer on a bike who goes round identifying unused brown fields sites and empty properties. There are thousands and thousands of empty properties ranging from houses to flats above shops that...
Show full commentAgreed. Every council should have a dedicated officer on a bike who goes round identifying unused brown fields sites and empty properties. There are thousands and thousands of empty properties ranging from houses to flats above shops that could be purchased and redeveloped without any need to consider green belt land or the need to build high rise blocks (remember the eighties and nineties when we realised we should never ever build high risers because of the failed social experiment of the sixties which led to social isolation and crime).
Show less of commentRoyP
Community Member 2 months agoYea, sadly, at my age, I can remember those days. High rise buildings are not the answer but empty buildings and the like are a contribution that needs serious consideration.
A G Thorne
Community Member 2 months agoWe can no longer keep building tower blocks examples of problems
Ronan Point
Trowbridge Estate
Grenfell
New Atlas Wharf
New Providence Wharf
To name but four examples of failures
Show full commentWe can no longer keep building tower blocks examples of problems
Ronan Point
Trowbridge Estate
Grenfell
New Atlas Wharf
New Providence Wharf
To name but four examples of failures
Show less of commentRoyP
Community Member 2 months agoif there is one thing that this whole debate needs, it is to remember, at the very least, the disaster that was Grenfell - "never again" must be the mantra!
abby776
Community Member 2 months agoHomelessness has a much worse impact compared to iimpact of bbuilding mid, or even high rise buildings on greenbelt most of which is not good quality and inaccessible anyway. JJust makesure there is a good mice pf ssocial, affordable and...
Show full commentHomelessness has a much worse impact compared to iimpact of bbuilding mid, or even high rise buildings on greenbelt most of which is not good quality and inaccessible anyway. JJust makesure there is a good mice pf ssocial, affordable and private sector homes in each development so we have a diverse population lliving together
Show less of commentRainD
Community Member 2 months agoLondon is already too built up and needs the greenbelt. Londoners especially over 50s because London is more a place for younger people should be allowed to join housing lists outside London
Show full commentLondon is already too built up and needs the greenbelt. Londoners especially over 50s because London is more a place for younger people should be allowed to join housing lists outside London
Show less of commentblinkmaster
Community Member 2 months agoScotland has twice the housing of London when you take floor space into consideration. So we need to at least double the housing supply in London. We could do it by surrounding London with Parks, cycle lanes and humungous tall buildings.
dataforensics
Community Member 2 months agoI am all for new homes but they should be in keeping with the area. Residential properties in my area are very rarely over three stories. Yet our council is allowing the construction of skyscrapers again. Along with very dense high rise...
Show full commentI am all for new homes but they should be in keeping with the area. Residential properties in my area are very rarely over three stories. Yet our council is allowing the construction of skyscrapers again. Along with very dense high rise linear blocks. We have been there before, they will just become run down and dens of criminality.
Show less of commentposorio
Community Member 2 months agoThere are plenty of derelict ex industrial or office spaces in London that could be converted for affordable housing
RoyP
Community Member 2 months agoToo right and why not?