Sadiq Khan under fire as London covered in ‘ugly tower blocks – ‘stop building them’_D

Sir Sadiq Khan has been urged to stop building high rise flats in London. A new report by the City Hall Conservatives calls on the London Mayor to prioritise new family homes in the capital to help tackle the housing crisis.

It argues that building larger properties for families would free up smaller houses and flats for young professionals and students. It comes as the London Mayor is proposing building up to 56,000 homes on the green belt in London in blocks of up to 10 storeys.

Tory London Assembly Member Andrew Boff said: “This is really, really worrying.

“London’s population fell for the first time in decades last year, and families are leaving the capital en masse because they cannot afford the housing they need.

“Meanwhile, planning changes to enable developers to bulldoze green spaces, and circumvent local councils – elected by residents – to put up developments look set to throw up tens of thousands of unsuitable properties which will not solve the issue.

“We need to stop building these high rises and start building the family homes that Londoners really need. I hope the Mayor will read my report and join our campaign to save London’s green spaces.”

The report argues that there is a “mismatch” between the homes that are being built and the homes that are needed.

It argues that developers are incentivised to build as many one or two-bed properties as they can due to targets focusing on “units” rather than “bedrooms”.

It calls for three and four-bedroom homes to be prioritised to address housing pressures.

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “Tackling London’s housing crisis is one of the Mayor’s top priorities and City Hall is working with London boroughs, housing associations, developers and others to deliver more homes of all tenures.

“The draft new London Plan aims to deliver a range of different sized homes to meet Londoners’ needs.

“The Mayor remains committed to improving access to good-quality green spaces for Londoners and has been clear that the next London Plan will continue to provide strong protections for the capital’s strategically important green spaces.”