London planning rules torn up to speed up housing

Housing Secretary Steve Reed and Mayor Sadiq Khan have agreed a bundle of emergency, time-limited measures designed to get websites shifting once more.

The plan centres on fast-tracking viable schemes, easing value burdens and giving the Mayor new powers to override borough refusals on main initiatives.

The emergency measures come as inexpensive housing begins within the capital have collapsed to 4,522 in 2024/25, down from 26,386 two years earlier, with viability pressures and planning delays choking supply.

Metropolis Corridor can be scrapping restrictive density steering blamed for holding again output on allotted websites, opening the door for extra properties on land able to go.

Builders will face early-stage evaluations in the event that they fail to hit supply milestones, with the danger of being pressured to extend inexpensive housing provision.

The push is backed by £324m for a brand new Metropolis Corridor Developer Funding Fund focusing on caught schemes, whereas early progress is already claimed at Beam Park in east London, the place a 4,000-home venture has lastly been unlocked after years of delay.