London planning rules torn up to speed up housing
London planning rules torn up to speed up housing
Ministers and City Hall have ripped up key planning constraints in a bid to kickstart London house building and unlock dozens of stalled schemes.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed and Mayor Sadiq Khan have agreed a package of emergency, time-limited measures designed to get sites moving again.
The plan centres on fast-tracking viable schemes, easing cost burdens and giving the Mayor new powers to override borough refusals on major projects.
Three key measures driving the reset
Fast-track planning route
Schemes delivering at least 20% affordable housing will be pushed through an accelerated planning route across all boroughs. Applies immediately.
CIL relief to unlock schemes
Developers will get temporary relief from Community Infrastructure Levy charges where schemes meet affordable housing thresholds, with further support for higher provision. Live now for qualifying projects.
Mayor call-in powers expanded
New legislation will allow the Mayor to take over and decide applications of 50 homes or more where boroughs intend to refuse. Comes into force in May.
The emergency measures come as affordable housing starts in the capital have collapsed to 4,522 in 2024/25, down from 26,386 two years earlier, with viability pressures and planning delays choking delivery.
City Hall is also scrapping restrictive density guidance blamed for holding back output on allocated sites, opening the door for more homes on land ready to go.
Developers will face early-stage reviews if they fail to hit delivery milestones, with the risk of being forced to increase affordable housing provision.
The push is backed by £324m for a new City Hall Developer Investment Fund targeting stuck schemes, while early progress is already claimed at Beam Park in east London, where a 4,000-home project has finally been unlocked after years of delay.
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