Deputy Mayor for Housing Tom Copley said the two schemes, which failed to get government funding in the recent Budget, are essential for delivering London’s target of 88,000 homes a yearKumail Jaffer Democracy Reporter covering the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority
19:19, 06 Jan 2026
Sadiq Khan will hope that ministers change their mind and back the Bakerloo Line extension and West London Orbital
London will struggle to build its target figure of 88,000 new homes every year for the next decade unless two major rail projects are given the green light, the Deputy Mayor for Housing has said.
Tom Copley said the next London Plan will factor in the government’s request – part of a wider target for 1.5million new homes in the UK by 2029 – but may fall short if enough infrastructure isn’t built.
He told the London Assembly Budget and Performance Committee that a “huge amount of infrastructure and funding” are needed to reach the 88,000 figure.
This includes the DLR extension – which was supported by Chancellor Rachel Reeves at November’s Budget and looks set to unlock up to 30,000 new homes between Beckton Riverside and Thamesmead.
Deputy Mayor for Housing Tom Copley urged ministers to back the two major rail projects in London as soon as possible
However, he called on ministers to back the fabled Bakerloo Line extension from Elephant & Castle into South London and the proposed West London Orbital connecting North and West London.
He said: “We’re going to be planning for 880,000 homes over the next 10 years. But to be clear, the London plan is not a delivery plan. It’s a spatial development strategy. So we’re gonna be planning the homes that we need.
“But we’re also very, very clear that in order to actually get to that target, a lot of things have to happen. The DLR extension, which I mentioned, is very, very important.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed has tasked the Mayor of London with building 88,000 homes per year
“We also need a Bakerloo Line extension, the West London Orbital. We need a huge amount of infrastructure and a huge amount of funding in order to be able to get to that 88,000 figure.”
Independent analysis from consulting firm Hatch suggests that 107,000 new homes could be unlocked along the Bakerloo Line if it is eventually extended to Hayes in the south-east.
The West London Orbital, which would run from Hendon and West Hampstead to Hounslow, could help deliver up to 15,800 new homes, meanwhile.
The proposed Bakerloo Line extension – but backers are yet to convince ministers(Image: TfL)
Despite both projects being backed by the Mayor of London, there was no mention of either in the Autumn Budget last year. It is understood that while conversations are ongoing between City Hall and Whitehall, there are no plans to approve either in the coming years.
Mr Copley also reiterated that the figure cannot be reached without building on green belt land, though he could not give an estimate for the proportion of new homes that would need to be constructed on the protected land.
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