Brent Council, which completed more homes than any other local authority in the UK this year, has welcomed the Mayor of London’s Draft London Plan and urged City Hall to support its ongoing efforts to tackle the housing crisis.
It backs the Plan’s ambitions for more housing including affordable options, sustainable growth, climate resilience and high street renewal, but warns that boroughs cannot deliver London’s growth ambitions without investment.
If London is serious about tackling the housing crisis, we need to be clear that boroughs cannot do it alone. Future growth must be supported by investment which backs the builders not the blockers, and there is no better builder in London than Brent.
Cllr Matt Kelcher, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning and Growth, said: "We know the difference that a safe, secure and genuinely affordable home can make to a family's life. As the leading housebuilding authority, Brent has consistently shown that it is prepared to play its part in delivering the homes, jobs and infrastructure Londoners need.
"We support the ambitions of the Draft London Plan and stand ready to continue delivering new homes, including affordable homes. However, if London is serious about tackling the housing crisis, we need to be clear that boroughs cannot do it alone. Future growth must be supported by investment which backs the builders not the blockers, and there is no better builder in London than Brent.”
Having already delivered more than 20,000 homes over the last decade, major regeneration schemes continue across the borough of Brent. In South Kilburn, one of London's largest estate renewal programmes is delivering new homes, parks and community facilities, while the Bridge Park development will bring forward a new leisure centre, community facilities, public spaces and more than 1,000 new homes.
In its response to the London Plan consultation, the council is particularly supportive of City Hall’s proposals to recognise Staples Corner as a key growth location, as well as to upgrade Wembley to Metropolitan Town Centre status in recognition of the area’s growing national and international significance.
Brent also suggests an alternative to proposals to remove the current carbon offset funding mechanism for new developments, which could reduce the funding available to improve the energy efficiency of existing homes and buildings. Instead, it proposes a hybrid model that combines tougher on-site energy performance standards with a more limited financial contribution for unavoidable emissions.
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