The combination of several factors such as a change in land use, political will and new infrastructure can act as a catalyst to development, where there have been constraints to delivery.

In this report, we have analysed how the availability of development sites, the location of public assets and the potential re-use of some employment land, set in the context of the GLA’s Housing Zones and Opportunity Areas, can accelerate housing delivery.

“Reaching these numbers depends on strong leadership and funding for key infrastructure projects”

We have also assessed how new and proposed rail links such as Crossrail 1 and 2 would boost future housing delivery by improving access to outer boroughs and opening up new neighbourhoods for development. Where there is potential for development at scale, such as Old Oak Common, the creation of an employment centre within a new neighbourhood will further boost housing capacity (see Speeding up housing delivery).

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Future hotspots

By mapping out eight key factors that influence housing delivery and highlighting where they converge, we have identified 21 future hotspots for development (see Table 1). While this list is not exhaustive, these locations provide some of the best opportunities to bring forward the greatest volume of homes at speed.

Our monitoring of development sites suggests there is potential to build 200,000 private homes and 70,000 Affordable Homes in these 21 locations. According to our analysis of the development pipeline in these areas, 32,000 new homes would have been built anyway over the next five years without the intervention of the catalysts we have listed.

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More, faster

However, by making best use of the catalysts we have identified and building for a wider range of tenures, we can accelerate these numbers. We estimate that there is capacity to build another 24,000 new homes in these 21 locations within the next five years and a further 34,000 new homes after that. This brings the total additional capacity to 58,000 over the next 10 years – the equivalent of just under 6,000 extra homes a year.

However, reaching these numbers depends on strong political leadership, a more creative approach to existing assets, particularly public and under-used employment land and ultimately funding for new infrastructure. Big ticket items such as Crossrail 2 and the Bakerloo extension are essential to encourage more development in more peripheral areas. While at a more local level, roads, bridges and improvement to the public realm could be necessary to make sites work.

Taken from
Spotlight: London Development - Spring 2015