Khan orders GLA housing review

London mayor Sadiq Khan has called for a review of the Greater London Authority’s housing development. Khan has appointed Lord Bob Kerslake to examine multiple strategies across the group, to streamline activity and ultimately boost the supply of affordable homes. Kerslake will make recommendations for the City Hall developer pilot promised in Khan’s mayoral campaign this year. The review will examine the various parts of the GLA Group’s involvement in housing development, including Transport for London, the Old Oak Development Corporation and the London Legacy Development Corporation. It will also look at indirect efforts connected to land sales from other teams, such as the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and the London Fire Commission. Kerslake was the first chief executive of the Homes and Communities Agency, now renamed Homes England, and was permanent secretary for the Department of Communities and Local Government between 2010 and 2015. He recently led the Kerslake Commission, reviewing learnings from the government’s rough sleeping response during the pandemic. Kerslake will deliver an overview to Khan in early 2022, explaining of the total number of homes and different GLA routes to delivery. TfL has also been exploring ways to increase residential development across some 637 acres of land in London, as part of a strategy to increase revenues, following demands from central government. The transport body has been investigating a new property company that could deliver up to 46,350 homes. TfL anticipates it will raise development projections from 10,000 to 13,278 homes, with a £400m capital injection. This would see TfL develop 50 sites, spanning 145 acres. However, net funding of £2bn could provide access to a further 61 commercially unviable projects, adding 280 acres and 33,072 extra homes. Khan said: “I am doing all I can to tackle the housing crisis in the capital, and am proud to have achieved record-breaking delivery of genuinely affordable homes during my first term as mayor. “I am determined to build on this success to deliver more homes for Londoners.” Kerslake said: “London urgently needs more genuinely affordable homes.” He said his review would seek to “streamline and strengthen” GLA efforts. The London Assembly Housing Committee estimates that the London needs 66,000 new homes a year, of which 43,000 should be affordable. Khan’s London Plan set a target of 52,000 homes, over ten years. In 2020-21, GLA grants saw some 13,318 affordable homes, against a target of 10,300. This is a 23% drop on the previous year, attributed to challenges in the housebuilding sector as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The committee has asked Khan to publish comprehensive data on the losses and gains of affordable housing, including affordable housing not funded by the mayor, and data on homes specifically earmarked for key works. Sian Berry, chair of the housing committee, said: “The delivery of social housing in particular remains far below the needs of Londoners. Too many people still live in overcrowded homes, and it is clear that the mayor’s team are not gathering the information they need to tell us what they are achieving for families who need more space. “The Mayor, the government and housing sector must work together to provide the homes Londoners need.”   To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@eg.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or @EGPropertyNews Image © Omar Marques/SOPA Images/Shutterstock