Housing secretary Robert Jenrick has responded to Sadiq Khan’s plans for a new draft London plan with fresh demands for further changes.
Jenrick has written to the London mayor calling for greater flexibility around the release of industrial land for housing and restrictions on tall buildings.
The two further directions come on top of the 11 requests earlier this year.
Jenrick’s new demands follow Khan’s proposal to publish a new draft London plan in a letter sent yesterday (9 December), after months of waiting for a formal response from the department on the previous version.
The housing secretary said that pressure in the wake of the pandemic means that boroughs should be able to use industrial land to meet housing needs, allowing them to continue to protect the green belt and city centre open land.
He has also raised concerns over tall buildings in London in areas where these developments “don’t reflect the local character”. Instead they should only be brought forward in defined areas, the housing secretary said.
Jenrick said: “I would be grateful if you could re-submit your Intention to Publish version of the plan with amendments that address the 11 previous directions and the two additional directions. I will then be in a position to formally agree to the publication of the London Plan.
“Once published, the London Plan will be an important tool in helping to drive housing delivery, economic recovery and sustainable development across London.”
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