Establishing the zones allows the Mayor to remove “unnecessary” planning restrictions in specific parcels of brownfield land earmarked for development by local authorities who then partner with a developer.
The sites announced today cover land in nine boroughs and will benefit from 260m of new investment and, according to Mr Johnson’s office, “will unlock the redevelopment of 1897.42 hectares of brownfield land.”
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: ‘As London’s population continues to boom, already at its highest since records began and with more growth predicted, housing is a huge challenge.
“We need to double housebuilding and provide a million more homes by 2025.
“These innovative new Housing Zones, the first of their kind in the UK, will trigger regeneration and turbo boost the transformation of the capital’s brownfield sites, creating tens of thousands of new homes for hard working Londoner in first class new neighbourhoods.”
The nine Housing Zones:
Abbey Wood and South Thamesmead: A 13.42 hectare area between Abbey Wood Station – the terminus of Crossrail – and Southmere Lake. It is expected that the Zone create a new urban boulevard and create an new town centre within the heart of Thamesmead. It will also offer huge opportunities to deliver over 1,300 new homes and thousands of jobs through unlocking existing cleared sites and creating new local commercial space.
Abbey Wood, Plumstead and Thamesmead: This site has been identified by the Royal Borough of Greenwich in partnership with Peabody Trust and is expected to provide 1,512 new homes, (44% of which would affordable) and 3,024 jobs. The Housing Zone will also lead to improved public spaces, roads and footpaths in the area, delivering a high quality local environment to capitalise on the arrival of Crossrail to Abbey Wood in 2018.
Barking Town Centre: This 97 hectare Housing Zone is a central part of the ambition to realise Barking’s full cultural and economic potential. It will host over 2,000 new homes and 4,000 new jobs, alongside improved local public spaces and new culture and leisure facilities.
Clapham Junction to Battersea Riverside: This prime 57 acre Housing Zone has huge development and transformational potential. With excellent transport links to the West End, City of London and Gatwick Airport, it will attract £1.4 billion of investment to deliver 5,000 new homes, new commercial space and 1,300 new jobs.
Heart of Harrow: Both Harrow and Wealdstone town centres sit within the Heart of Harrow Housing Zone. The new Zone will see more than 5,000 homes are built over the next ten years and accelerate delivery of the council’s private rented sector programme.
Hounslow Town Centre: This 466 hectare Housing Zone is part of Hounslow’s ambitious regeneration programme, designed to boost job and business growth, and to accelerate high quality house-building for residents. It is expected that the Zone will lead to the delivery of 3,478 new homes built by 2025, 1,383 of which will be affordable. The Zone is also expected to lead to the creation of almost 7,000 jobs.
New Bermondsey: This 30 acre site will become a thriving new neighbourhood with 2,400 new homes and over 2,000 new jobs. The new Housing Zone will fund transport improvements to accelerate delivery, including a new London Overground station, speed up the construction of homes and accelerate the entire development to complete construction within eight years.
Southall: This part of Ealing is set to benefit enormously from being on the new Crossrail route. The new Housing Zone will deliver 4,345 new homes, 1,785 of which will be affordable. The Zone will also improve the station arrival point for Crossrail and allow for infrastructure improvements to help connect sites across Southall.
Tottenham: This area of Haringey is one of the capital’s big growth opportunities. Ambitious regeneration plans supported by a Housing Zone will see 10,000 new homes built and 5,000 new jobs created by 2025. The Zone will offer opportunities to build almost 2,000 new homes around and on top of a redeveloped Tottenham Hale station and open up the Lee Valley Regional Park with two new bridges.
(Source: City Hall)
