London’s deputy mayor for housing, James Murray, has warned that Brexit will make it harder to fix the housing crisis, but pledged to do all he could to give the industry more certainty.
“We are already seeing the fallout having an impact in terms of greater uncertainty in the housing market, which will make it harder to fix the housing crisis,” he said at a London Assembly planning committee.
“But I think our message today is that the fallout underscores the vital importance of us stimulating and supporting the homebuilding industry in London.”
Measures to give developers, local authorities and housing associations more “certainty” will include releasing planning guidance for requirements and processes around affordable housing delivery ahead of the London Plan.
A framework to support the build-to-rent sector will also be released before the London Plan. Murray said the sector could “form a genuinely additional source of supply” for the capital and that support from City Hall was “even more” important after the Brexit vote.
The first version of the London Plan is due to be released in autumn 2016 as part of an informal consultation, but a public examination is not due to take place until summer 2018, with adoption in autumn 2019.
James Murray’s first planning committee: What we learned…
- No active plans to review building on the green belt
- Keen to protect workspace for SMEs and creative companies in some areas
- Pro-build to rent
- Flexible approach to how 50% affordable housing target is met
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