Affordable housing trial announced for London

Thu 26 Nov 2009

A trial of a new scheme which could see London boroughs given more control over affordable housing projects is to be launched in April 2010.

As part of the pilot, councils in Croydon, Hackney and Westminster will be given greater autonomy to take decisions on affordable housing investment.

In return for the greater budgetary control the councils will have to commit to certain delivery targets.

The pilot will assess whether giving councils the ability to address the specific affordable housing issues in their boroughs will lead to the right types of building projects taking place.

A steering group chaired by Richard Blakeway, the mayor's housing advisor, and consisting of stakeholders such as the Greater London Authority (GLA), housing associations and the Homes and Communities Agency will work with the councils during the trial.

Should the pilot prove successful, a delegated housing delivery programme covering all London boroughs could be established as early as 2011.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson recently ordered an audit of all the land owned by the GLA in a bid to identify sites suitable for new affordable housing projects.