FAQs: Housing

The London Plan identified that the Old Oak and Park Royal opportunity areas have the capacity to deliver at least 25,500 new homes. This will include market and affordable homes for rent and sale.

OPDC will have a minimum annual housing target of 1,110 homes. Performance against this will be monitored through the Authorities Monitoring Report (AMR).

OPDC has carried out an extensive analysis to identify developable land within its boundary. The majority of the area has been defined as deliverable or developable outside of excluded locations (e.g.: Wormwood Scrubs and existing residential areas). However, there may be some additional windfall sites that may become available.

The new housing developments will take place on land which is not currently residential, and therefore there is no existing population that will need to be rehoused.

Mayoral Development Corporations are not required to keep a register under The Self-Build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015. However, OPDC will work with the London Boroughs of Brent, Ealing and Hammersmith & Fulham to explore ways in which the area can help to meet self-build and custom-build needs that have been identified in the local registers.

The new housing developments will take place on land which is not currently residential, and therefore there is no existing population that will need to be rehoused.

A mix of housing is vital to create balanced and sustainable communities. The requirements are set out in our draft Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA). The mix of housing will include housing for single people and family housing. It will also include a range of housing types to suit different levels of affordability.

OPDC is at the beginning of a long development programme and over 2016 will develop an evidence base on housing needs, working with the Greater London Authority to establish an appropriate target for affordable housing.

OPDC recognises the value of overseas investors to London and the UK’s economy. But, at the same time, we recognise the need to ensure that Londoners are able to compete with overseas investors.

OPDC will encourage developers to sign up to the Mayoral Concordat. This will require developers to market homes first or first equal to Londoners, rather than marketing them to overseas investors.

OPDC has to publish Part 1 of the Brownfield Land Register by the end of 2017 and is consulting on the sites to be included as part of the Regulation 19 Local Plan consultation.

In accordance with the Mayor of London’s policy aspirations, 50% of new homes delivered will be affordable, subject to viability. This will help to meet local and London-wide housing needs.

OPDC will calculate habitable rooms on the following basis:

1 bed = 2 habitable rooms

2 bed = 3 habitable rooms

There will be greater flexibility to the calculation of habitable rooms for 3+ bed units as long as it is not artificially increasing the number of affordable habitable rooms.

OPDC’s preferred affordable housing tenure split is 30% at London Affordable Rent and 70% Intermediate housing, including London Living Rent and London Shared Ownership. The housing mix will be required to include homes that are affordable to households on a range of local incomes.

Local people in the boroughs of Brent, Ealing and Hammersmith & Fulham will primarily have access to the affordable housing units delivered, depending on a housing needs assessment by their local council and in accordance with local housing allocation schemes.

However, OPDC is also working with the GLA and the boroughs to agree a proportion to be allocated to households across London.

The Government has abandoned the mandatory requirement for Starter Homes on all new sites as set out in the Housing and Planning Act 2016. Rather, the Government intends to amend the NPPF to introduce a policy expectation that housing sites deliver a minimum of 10% affordable home ownership units. The proposed tenure mix for OPDC will meet this requirement.

OPDC will work with developers to ensure that wherever possible homes are marketed to and are occupied by people who live and work in London.

Providing a mix of housing types, including housing for single people, housing for families and housing for older people will help to create balanced and sustainable communities meeting a range of housing needs. .

The overall approach to family housing seeks to strike a balance between the need assessed in the SHMA and incentivising developers to increase the level of family housing delivered.

OPDC does not have direct Housing Act powers in terms of environmental health and needs to work with the boroughs to identify the property owners and how the property will be managed if returned to use.