Michael Gove, the Housing Secretary, has requested that the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, re-examine two specific policies within the London Plan, accusing them of contributing to a slowdown in new home construction.
Gove points out that there are 736 hectares designated for industrial use that could be repurposed for residential projects but are presently entangled in the planning process.
He also suggests revising ‘opportunity areas’, which are intended for the development of at least 2,500 homes each. Currently, there are 47 such areas.
Gove has asked the Mayor to provide an update by the end of September.
These remarks follow a review by the government in February which criticized Khan’s strategy for impeding rather than aiding the development of new homes on previously industrial land.
Gove believes that the Mayor’s significant shortfall in delivering new homes in London is a disappointment to the city’s residents. He emphasizes that while the government has taken extensive steps, including investing in affordable housing and promoting development on reclaimed land, this is insufficient without a review of the London Plan and expert planning support to unleash thousands of potential new homes.
Khan, alongside Labour leader Keir Starmer, has written off Gove’s criticism as mere political theatre, given the timing coincides with his campaign launch for re-election as Mayor.
Khan spoke to the Standard, stating the announcement on the day of his campaign launch, with a focus on housing, is clearly politically motivated. He suggests the government is resorting to gimmicks and should instead call a general election.
Starmer parallels this sentiment, noting that Gove is engaging in political manoeuvres rather than actually governing and concentrating on his duties, particularly on the day of Khan’s campaign start.
Marc Vlessing from the real estate company Pocket Living also weighs in, indicating that while Gove’s focus on industrial land and ‘opportunity areas’ is valid, he overlooks a simple solution for boosting housing in the city. Vlessing proposes automatically granting planning permission for residential development on small brownfield sites that adhere to policy on affordable housing.
Last year’s research by Pocket Living suggested that this approach could free up about 1200 sites in London, which equates to the area of 300 football fields. This point was emphasized during the government’s recent London Plan review that led to Gove’s new directive.
