London mayor plans 50,000 affordable homes

Boris Johnson has published proposals to build 50,000 affordable homes in the capital over the next three years.

In a consultation document out today, Johnson set out proposed revisions to the London Plan, the city’s statutory planning document.

He called for better collaboration with individual boroughs and greater focus on development opportunities in the outskirts of the city.

Key proposals include replacing the London-wide target for 50% of housing to be affordable with a programme of 50,000 affordable homes over the next three years. This would be based on individual housing targets for different boroughs.

Johnson also wants to bring in extra protection for the city’s landmarks and said he is not prepared to undermine the “unique character” of historic sites for the sake of tall buildings.

The mayor’s office said there would be “less emphasis on detailed targets and more emphasis on collaboration and consensus”.

Johnson said: “I want a London Plan that helps give Londoners a better quality of life, that takes proper account of local needs and which developers and local boroughs can easily use.

“Although the London Plan has achieved a lot of good over the past eight years, it is too unwieldy and there’s too much focus on detail rather than outcomes. I want to see a slimmer Plan, which deals with genuinely strategic issues, but this won’t be at the expense of London’s need for more homes and economic success.”

The document comes ahead of the formal process for changing the London Plan and is open for consultation until 10 November.