The number of homes being delivered in the capital under Sadiq Khan has been ‘deeply disappointing’, according to secretary of state for housing Robert Jenrick.
Mr Jenrick has written to the mayor of London calling for a revised London Plan that takes proactive steps to surpass the housing requirement in the Plan.
The letter also warns that critical strategic sites have stalled, onerous conditions put on estate regeneration, and funding turned down because of the support and oversight that would accompany it.
The letter said: ‘Housing delivery in London under your mayoralty has been deeply disappointing, over the last three years housing delivery has averaged just 37,000 a year; falling short of the existing Plan target and well below your assessment of housing need.
’Over the same period, other mayors such as in the West Midlands have gripped their local need for housing and recognised the opportunities this brings, leading significant increases in the delivery of homes.’
Mr Jenrick has said the London Plan cannot be published until the directions set out have been followed, warning new legislation will be introduced if necessary.
A spokesperson for the mayor of London said: 'The mayor makes no apologies for trying to deliver genuinely affordable housing in the capital while at the same time protecting and enhancing the Green Belt.
'The secretary of state is trying to run roughshod over the mayor’s efforts to finalise a London Plan, which will deliver for Londoners and deliver on pledges from the mayor’s manifesto. The secretary of state needs to realise that London is best served by the Government devolving further funding and powers to the capital to build the affordable homes it urgently needs, instead of taking this heavy-handed approach.'
