Sadiq Khan’s green belt rethink got the headlines, but there was plenty more to learn from last Friday’s announcement
The announcement that his office would be actively exploring green belt land to develop on stole the show during Sadiq Khan’s big housing speech in Greenwich last Friday.
But the consultation document published alongside the address – entitled Towards a new London Plan – was packed with clues about other ways in which the next plan could differ from the most recent one, which was adopted back in 2021.
Target setting for social rent homes
In a number of places, the consultation document makes it clear that the London mayor does not want to skimp on delivering homes for social rent. “The greatest affordable housing need is for social rent homes,” the document says.
“A future approach could put more emphasis on this housing tenure in line with national policy. This includes setting specific targets for social rent and increasing the proportion of social rented homes secured through the planning system.”
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Interestingly, this would go beyond what has been implemented so far at the national level. Despite calls to do so from Florence Eshalomi, chair of the backbench housing select committee, central government has refrained from setting specific targets for the delivery of social housing.
At a national level, Angela Rayner, Labour’s housing secretary, has been vocal in her support for the social rent tenure. But beyond rhetoric, relatively little policy supporting social rent development specifically has been forthcoming from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Khan’s consultation document is the first place we have seen some indication of how Labour’s support for an increase in homes for social rent might be realised.
Full replacement of social rent homes in estate regeneration and a new intermediate tenure
Under the existing London Plan, estate regeneration schemes are only required to re-provide demolished social rent homes when the occupiers have a right to return. If there isn’t such a right, the floorspace can be re-provided as either social rent or London Affordable Rent (lower than 80% of market rents).
The consultation document suggests that the next London Plan “could require full replacement of social rent homes”, no matter whether or not there is a right to return.
As well as prioritising homes for social rent, the consultation document has mooted the introduction of a new intermediate tenure type, which it said was “crucial for middle-income earners including key workers”.
The next London Plan “could build on work already done by the mayor and introduce Key Worker Living Rent”, it said. It suggested that this new tenure type could be based on key workers’ incomes, rather than representing a set discount on market rates.
Expanding the definition of build to rent
Currently, the London Plan specifies build-to-rent schemes (BTR) as comprising at least 50 units. But, according to the consultation document, this limit “does not necessarily need to apply”.
It suggests that “if build to rent is to become more important in meeting housing needs, this definition could be expanded to support more diverse types of development”.
It also said that, beyond affordable housing thresholds, there may be “additional models to provide genuinely affordable housing” as part of BTR developments. “These would help meet housing need and align to the delivery and management model”.
The consultation also stressed the need to strike the right balance in terms of encouraging other development types, such as co-living and purpose-built student accommodation, without setting out much detail on what the mayor’s team thinks that balance might be. Instead, it sought views on how a reasonable balance could be achieved.
Revised policies on density and building height
The mayor’s office indicated dissatisfaction with how tall building development is currently being handled across the city, noting that some boroughs had failed to identify suitable areas for tall building.
It suggested that the new plan “could take a more active role in identifying and defining tall building clusters” as well as setting out the building heights that “should be acceptable in principle in all locations across London that share certain characteristics”.
It also mooted the possibility of setting a minimum height benchmark and a small site design code across London to support small site development and SMEs.
Removal of duplicates between London Plan and national regulations
The document identified a “confusing overlap of planning policies and building regulations”, which it proposed to remove. One example was overheating and ventilation, which has been subject to new national building regulation guidance since the last London Plan was published.
“One option for the new London Plan could be to remove bespoke policies that cover these issues and rely on national building regulations to deal with ventilation and overheating,” it said. “This would make it simpler for applicants and planning officers to know what is expected from a planning application and support housing delivery.”
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What is the London Plan?
The London Plan is the strategic spatial plan for Greater London, setting out strategy and requirements for homes, transport and other infrastructure. It sets out how the capital should develop over the next 20-25 years.
When London boroughs write their own plans, they have to be in “general conformity” with the London Plan.
The current plan was published in March 2021. The draft new plan will be published in 2026 for consultation. The new plan will then run from its adoption in 2027 until 2050, with regular updates.
On Friday, the mayor published an initial consultation paper (Towards a New London Plan) featuring proposals that might be included in that draft. It gave a strong indication of his thinking and priorities.
The plan also sets housing targets for each borough to achieve, which it bases on where homes might reasonably be built, rather than where local need arises. In other words, London is treated as one big housing market, despite having more than 30 planning authorities.
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