The Mayor of London refuses 'unacceptable' plans for affordable housing

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, today (September 5) rejected plans to lower the proportion of affordable housing on the site of the former New Scotland Yard building.

This comes after his tougher approach to tackle London’s housing crisis begins to take effect. The site, at 8-10 Broadway in Westminster, was sold by the previous Mayor who allowed planning permission to be granted for a development offering a £10m payment and only 10 affordable homes.

The developer, BL Developments, then sought to increase the total number of homes by 27, from 268 to 295, but without an increase in the number of affordable units or payment in lieu. This meant that the level of affordable housing fell further to only three per cent.

Sadiq Khan himself commented: “A shortage of affordable homes is at the heart of the housing crisis in our city. The scheme put forward for this site is simply unacceptable: it fails to provide the maximum amount of affordable housing that could be delivered on this landmark site.

“It beggars belief that the initial application was approved under the previous Mayor with a paltry four per cent affordable housing just days before the Mayoral election.”

Earlier this year, Khan published his Supplementary Planning Guidance on viability and affordable housing. This meant that developers offering 35 per cent or more of affordable housing without public subsidy were expected a faster route through the planning system.

The Mayor’s decision is part of his wider efforts to tackle the capital’s housing crisis. Earlier this week, he wrote to the government urging an increase in council tax charges on empty properties in Central London.

He continued: “This is a site [8-10 Broadway] which has only recently been transferred from public ownership and sits within one of the most expensive areas of the country. Having carefully considered the evidence available to me, I have decided to refuse permission for this amended application.

“This comes just after the outrageous decision to cut the level of affordable housing at Battersea Power Station and I am more determined than ever to do all I can to ensure Londoners are not short-charged when it comes to developers doing their bit to help tackle [the city’s] housing crisis.”

Wandsworth Council was recently criticised for this move, which allowed developers to slash the amount of affordable housing by 40 per cent, reducing homes from 636 to 386. The Mayor had no formal power to intervene but wrote to the council objecting the plans.