\n Seven London councils are backing a judicial review of the Mayor of London’s decision to cut the proportion of affordable housing developers are required to build.<\/p>\n
The London borough of Lewisham \u00a9 Nigel J. Harris \/ Shutterstock.com.
\n Seven London councils are backing a judicial review of the Mayor of London’s decision to cut the proportion of affordable housing developers are required to build.<\/p>\n
Lewisham, Tower Hamlets and Hackney have jointly filed the legal challenge, with Lambeth, Southwark, Waltham Forest and Haringey formally supporting it.<\/p>\n
The claim targets the Mayor’s adoption of Time Limited Route measures, which would allow developments with just 20% affordable housing to proceed without justification \u2013 down from the current 35% threshold.<\/p>\n
The councils argue the changes lack evidential justification, were subject to insufficient consultation, and will make it harder for boroughs to deliver the affordable homes their residents urgently need.<\/p>\n
Mayor of Lewisham Liam Shrivastava said the move would have \u2018devastating consequences\u2019 for ordinary Londoners, pointing to 10,500 households on the borough’s housing waiting list and 2,450 in temporary accommodation.<\/p>\n
\u2018While we understand the challenge the Mayor of London faces in terms of a stalled house building market and a developer-led model that is broken, he has provided no justification for these changes, which will undoubtedly reduce the number of affordable homes built in London,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
The Mayor\u2019s office has been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n
Check out: 10 ways councils are responding to new housing and planning policy<\/a><\/p>\n