Four years ago, hidden from sight under huge marquees, vacant land at Beam Park, Dagenham, held one of the best-kept secrets of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It provided the dress rehearsal venue for Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony.
The 71.7-acre site now marks another milestone. The mayor has appointed Countryside and London & Quadrant to build almost 3,000 homes on Beam Park, with new facilities such as a school and swimming pool. There will be a new rail station less than 20 minutes’ commute to central London. It is the last major site owned by City Hall to be released.
The last few years have seen tireless efforts to put in place development plans for all the authority’s vacant land and – 1,023 acres later – that has now been achieved. It will result in major regeneration at Barking, Greenwich and Croydon, more than 7m sq ft of employment space created, together with 50,000 homes, 11 new parks and 14 new schools. Three former hospitals are being redeveloped, a Victorian workhouse, a flour mill, and a section house in Soho.
Identifying development plans for this land is just one part of the story. A huge amount has been learnt about how to dispose of sites effectively, improving procurement, de-risking planning, and covenanting schemes to scale new products such as purpose-built rent. The challenge now is to transfer this knowledge and experience to public land outside the GLA’s ownership. This is one reason for the formation of the London Land Commission, co-chaired by the mayor and housing minister. The commission has published a map of public land in the capital (available on City Hall’s site) and the findings are striking. It reveals that 25% of London is owned by the public sector, comprising 40,000 sites. There could be 130,000 homes built for Londoners on sites already identified as surplus, a volume of homes which will continue to grow. Sites range from tiny parcels of land to larger sites that could accommodate hundreds of new homes, with a plethora of public bodies owning land in every borough. In some key locations, such as town centres, adjacent to transport nodes or regeneration areas, there are huge clusters of potential public land. This will mean greater prioritisation of asset management by some public bodies, and smarter disposal processes in others.
The land register raises two challenges. Firstly, development opportunities should not be restricted to surplus sites. Many sites are underused, or services could be co-located with others to free up developable space. To make this happen requires public bodies to coordinate better – something which will be helped by amendments to the Housing & Planning Bill – as well as the adoption of sensible disposal processes. The LLC has a central role here. This includes disposing of sites through fast-track procurement processes, with obligations on the developers that acquire them to drive regeneration, instead of unfettered disposals where redevelopment plans can flounder. There are several advantages to such an approach. Using a framework panel, for example, is quicker than traditional disposal routes (sometimes twice as fast) and can achieve better value and balance between objectives, including design quality. It is also good news for the private sector, with schemes de-risked in planning and land payments frequently deferred.
The second issue is the role of commercial land. For all the improvements that must be made to the disposal of public land, there can be greater potential and improved regeneration if private land is aligned with it. In most cases it is possible to reach a commercial agreement. But where that’s not possible, powers of compulsory purchase must be strengthened. This is a contentious area, and no changes should be made without careful consultation. The government has already looked at expediting the CPO process, which can take two years, and it is worth exploring whether this could go further – say through a dedicated London service.
There is no single solution to building around 50,000 homes a year. Many reforms are required, from increased competition within the development industry to modernising construction methods. But the core challenge is the make sure more developable land comes to market. Increasing land supply will surely be aided by this new register.
Richard Blakeway is London’s deputy mayor for housing, land and property
