Affordable housing targets, housing zones and viability

摘要

The prospect for the provision of genuinely affordable homes in the London metropolitan region looks poor, and there is little room for manoeuvre, for the new Mayor, the boroughs or the Home Counties districts. The Housing and Planning Act weakens the planning powers of both the Mayor and local planning authorities, and the legislative and funding changes in relation to social housing make responding to the challenges faced much more difficult. We need a repeal of most of the provisions of the Act and the re-establishment of a programme of investment in social rented homes. We also need to enable councils to acquire development land on a cost-effective basis and to allow planners to identify sites and enable the development of genuinely affordable homes on sites where development is most sustainable in economic, social and environmental terms.