Yesterday Sadiq Kahn said he would use TfL's land portfolio of 16 times the size of Hyde Park to deliver homes for London.  This has been a common theme during the first weeks of the mayoral election.  Public sector portfolio managers should be primed to achieve the maximum number of homes on their sites.

The absence of many politicians from MIPIM this year has not diminished the debate about the future of London.  Diaries are filled with events to discuss the subject.  A British Land commissioned report into how London meets its needs was published today. 

This independent research, produced by Deloitte Real Estate, adopted a different approach.  By hosting a series of debates with leading thinkers and practitioners, our analysis set out potential interventions to help accommodate population and economic growth, and to create the quality of places that should be built in a world-class capital city.  At these debates, there was a clear consensus that London is at a crucial tipping point where bold decisions are needed.  Some interesting conclusions include:

  • Introducing a presumption in favour of accelerated housing delivery models – highly relevant at a time when the heat in the market might see a reduction in construction of housing for sale, the planning system could place greater weight on proposals for private rented housing, particularly when proposed on redundant public sector land.
  • Holding a genuine public debate about the future shape of London – the mayoral candidates are adamant in their desire to see 50,000 homes built in London a year, but they should also facilitate a debate about what this scale of construction would look like, in terms of building heights, densities, and quality of design and place creation.
  • Ensuring the timely delivery of infrastructure to meet existing and future demand – there should be greater engagement from the property industry to the London Infrastructure Plan, and the creation of a London Growth Board could coordinate how local business rates are used to pay for the infrastructure needed to facilitate London's growth.

MIPIM provides the forum for the next stage of debate about these and many other interventions about how London absorbs unprecedented growth.

To view the full report on 'meeting the needs of London's growing population and economy' click here.

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