Conservatives pledge to rewrite London’s planning strategy if Tory mayor elected

The Conservatives have pledged to rewrite London’s planning strategy if their candidate is elected as the mayor of London, which they say will clear the way to tens of thousands of new homes.

The London Plan, a development strategy written by the mayor, sets out a long-term blueprint for the capital, and contains policies on key areas like housing, workplaces, public transport and open spaces.

It was set for review under the last government, but former housing secretary Angela Rayner withdrew that in favour of a “partnership approach” to working with the current Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

The Tories claim that review could have potentially unlocked 16,800 acres of brownfield land, creating space for new housing.

They have argued that Mr Khan’s failure to reach house building targets is driving up prices and making it unaffordable for many people to buy a property in the capital.

Addressing the Conservative Party Conference on Monday, shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly said London needs a Tory mayor of London to “get a grip” of the housing crisis.

He said: “The UK’s biggest city has a unique role to play, and the Labour Mayor of London has not and will not get a grip of the situation, which is why we need a Conservative mayor of London who will get a grip.

“Because we need a Conservative to rewrite the London Plan, focus on delivery and unlock the tens of thousands of desperately needed homes in that city, and to unlock them near transport links, near to the night time economy, near to job opportunities, by prioritising brownfield sites and turning them into business hubs and housing hubs, just like we did before in Canary Wharf and just like we did before in the Olympic Park.”

Sir James added: “Now, to get this done, we need to take on the mountains of well-intended regulation, and we have got to cut it down to size.

“We have affordable housing targets so high they basically prevent anything getting built…

“We have made it too easy to say no to housing, and we need to find reasons to say yes to housing. We need to win the argument. We need to make people want to say yes.

“Now, just so you know where I’m coming from, I reject the false choice between low rise sprawl into the greenbelt and soulless tower blocks.

“We can and we should build homes that are liveable, that are attractive, that are welcomed by their neighbours, because beauty in the built environment should not be the preserve of the wealthy. It should be for everyone.”