Mayor demands £470m from government to kickstart homebuilding across London

Sadiq Khan says cash injection would “help unlock or accelerate” 76,000 homes on brownfield land in the capital, reports Noah Vickers, Local Democracy Reporter

Sadiq Khan is demanding ministers to give City Hall the £470million which he says would enable the construction of tens of thousands of new homes on brownfield sites across London.

The mayor’s request for funding comes as Chancellor Jeremy Hunt prepares to give his Autumn Statement on Wednesday (22nd), where he will announce the government’s new tax and spending plans.

City Hall says the cash injection would “help unlock or accelerate” 76,000 homes on brownfield land, by allowing for the development of transport infrastructure and site preparation.

The government says it has already announced hundreds of millions of pounds to regenerate unused land, and has recently passed legislation to support local authorities in developing brownfield sites.

Among Khan’s priority areas for investment is East London, including the Royal Docks, where City Hall investments are currently supporting the building of over 4,000 new homes.

Khan was joined in his call for further funding by Newham mayor Rokhsana Fiaz, who said her borough is facing “a growing housing crisis and 37,000 residents on our waiting list alone”.

She added: “We are also facing growing cost pressures because too many people are being made homeless and we are having to place them in expensive temporary accommodation […] so brownfield development needs to be given the green light in the Autumn Statement.”

A spokesperson at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities did not directly respond to the mayors’ request, but said: “We recently announced over £200m of new funding for London to regenerate unused brownfield land, including £53m to Old Oak West – a project that will deliver over 9,000 new homes and support 12,000 jobs.

“Through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, we are supporting local authorities to prioritise brownfield sites for development and ensure local leaders have the resources and capacity to deliver efficiently on local planning matters.”