Pipe says signs for housing crisis were clear ‘years ago’
Jules Pipe has said London should be “collectively embarrassed” that affordable housing crisis has received prominence only now that it is a middle class problem.
London’s deputy mayor for planning, regeneration and skills said the issue of unaffordable housing years ago was confined to “street cleaners, people working in low-level government jobs, and nurses”, but now it was an issue afflicting doctors and lawyers. “The signals were there years ago,” he said.
Jules Pipe has said London should be “collectively embarrassed” that affordable housing crisis has received prominence only now that it is a middle class problem.
London’s deputy mayor for planning, regeneration and skills said the issue of unaffordable housing years ago was confined to “street cleaners, people working in low-level government jobs, and nurses”, but now it was an issue afflicting doctors and lawyers. “The signals were there years ago,” he said.
Pipe was outlying the challenges with delivering housing and planning for economic growth in London alongside Alicia Glen, New York’s deputy mayor for housing and economic development, at the Centre for London’s London Conference.
Glen said a more “serious and pro-growth” approach to planning “without wielding political power” meant that residential development in certain parts of the city was forbidden and encouraged long-term investment from businesses in certain sectors that would produce employment for local communities.
“This is where we say we will not play to the market, but instead we will invest in our own assets and we will curate and preserve parts of the city where we will only allow certain forms of advanced manufacturing, or media and film businesses, and we know we will get returns from their investment.”
She said that at the same time, mixed-use development in certain parts of the city was also encouraged.
Pipe said the new London Plan, to be released in 2019, would provide a smarter approach to urban design, including co-location of business, such as light industry with housing.
He railed against the loss of industrial, seven times more than what was expected in central London, in the current London Plan.
Glen suggested London look to New York for how to achieve high-density residential development without losing a sense of place, however Pipe suggested the notion was political hand grenade, along with green belt development.
• To send feedback, e-mail rebecca.kent@estatesgazette.com or tweet @Writer_RKent or @estatesgazette
