LONDON, March 25 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:

* Thousands more affordable homes to be built fasteracross Londonunder new emergency package * Expandedpowers for theMayorto have direct control over housing schemes at risk ofbeingblocked * Progress already being made in the capital with the government's New Homes Accelerator successfully negotiating the future of a regeneration site in East London

London housebuildingis on the road to recoveryafter the governmentand Mayor of London today (Wednesday 25 March) confirmed emergency measures tounblockdozens ofstalled sitesandbuildthousands more affordable homesfor Londoners priced out ofthe housing market.

The package - confirmed by Housing Secretary Steve Reed and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan - delivers a London solutionfor a national crisis,with targeted planning changes designed to cut through bureaucracy and viability constraints holding back new homes across every borough.

Despite the government's strong track record working closely with the Mayor, particularly on council housing, the capital is building far fewer homes than it needs.High interest rates, rising constructioncosts, complexplanningrulesandthelegacy of theCovid-19 pandemichave createda series ofhurdles. This has resulted in only 4,522 social and affordable housing starts on site in London in 2024/25, which is considerably lower than the 26,386 starts reported in 2022/23.

Today's packageconfirmstargeted, time-limitedsupportforhousebuilderstoimprove the viability ofhousingschemes andgetquickerapprovalsacross every borough.Thisincludes:

* A new fast-track planning routeforsitesdeliveringat least 20 per cent affordable housing, meaningfaster delivery and moreaffordable homesgetbuilt overall. * Temporary relief from the Community Infrastructure Levy- charges paidby developers-for eligible schemes that meet affordable housing targets, withadditionalrelief for thosegoing further. * Removal of targeted Greater London Authority (GLA) guidance that can constrain density which has beenholding back the delivery ofmore homes on land alreadyearmarkedfor development - meaning more homes can get built on sites that are ready to go.

Targeted refinementshave been madeafter consultationto maximise the number of schemes that canbenefitfrom theemergencymeasures.

Housebuilderswillstill be expected to make real progress - and will face an Early-Stage Review if they miss agreed targets and milestones, which could require them to deliver more affordable housing on site.

Thegovernmenthasalsobroughtforwardthe necessarylegislationtodayto expandtheMayor'spowersto call in and reviewplanning applicationsfor50 homes or more wherea borough ismindedto refuse.This will come into force in May.This builds on the progress already made in the English Devolution Bill whichincludesa faster representation processwillcutup to six months offsomeplanning decisions.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed said:

"The scale of the housing crisis in London demands action - so that's what we're doing.

"This decisive action will turn plans on paper into thousands of new homes in our capital, with a clear message to developers to get on and build.

"We're kickstarting London housebuilding so more Londoners can rent or own a home that is genuinely affordable."

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said:

"Building more social and affordable homes is a top priority and I'm taking the tough decisions to get these much-needed homes built, including working closely with government to finalise this temporary emergency package which will unlock stalled sites across London.

"We've listened closely to the views of housebuilders, housing associations, councils and Londoners and the bold new measures respond to many of their concerns, ensuring we prioritise getting as many affordable homes built as possible and address the unique challenges London is facing.

"I make no apology for wanting to see more action to deliver new homes and will continue to work with government to accelerate housebuilding, tackling the building safety regulator backlog and supporting new schemes as we build a fairer and better capital for all."

Thesechangessupportthegovernment's mission to build 1.5 million homes this Parliament and gives London its own tools to move at pace andstart toget back on track to meeting its annual target of 88,000 new homes.

TheMayorcan also becomethe decision-makerfor developments ofover1,000sqmonGreen BeltorMetropolitan Open Land- bolsteringplans to buildon lower-quality,poorly connectedgrey belt land near public transport hubs.However, this will not make it easier for development to be approved on high quality Green Belt and Metropolitan OpenLand.

Progressis alreadybeing made to releasemore homes inthecapital.Thegovernment's New Homes Accelerator - working with the GLA and the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham -hasunlockeda major4,000-homeregeneration site in East London, Beam Park,which is releasing1,500 homes held up for a decade behind a single planning condition.Thegovernment has now confirmed a new Beam Parkrail station could be accommodatedwithinthe existingrail network;givingthe scheme a clearer path forward, with the GLA , London Borough of Havering, Transport for London and partners now working to assemble the funding needed todeliverit.

The AcceleratorhassinceexpandedintoLondon, launching a dedicatedcity branch managed by the GLA - NHALDN- alongside a new planning support service for boroughs,ATLASLDN.

Alongside these measures,governmentand the Building Safety Regulator, under new leadership, are driving stronger operational performance,withthe clearance ofalmost alllegacy Gateway 2 cases and over 10,500 new homes approved in the past 12 weeks, including 3,800 new homes approvedacross London.

Today's measures are backed bythe most significant housebuilding investment in a generation. The government's£39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programmehasallocatedup to £11.7 billionforLondon-considerablymorethanunderthepreviousprogramme.

As part oftheemergency package announcement, the GLA secured an allocation of £324milliontoestablishaCity HallDeveloperInvestment Fund(CHDIF)that will prioritise interventions on stalled sites that can deliver housing completions as soon as possible.

Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Building Safety Regulator, Charlie Pugsley said:

"As we enter an important new chapter as a standalone regulator, our focus is on strengthening safety, buildingtrustand collaborating with industry supportively to help deliver the secure, high-quality homes all Londoners need.

"Operational improvements are already accelerating decisions on new builds and clearing complex legacy cases. This progress is clear in the thousands of high-rise safe new homeswe'veapproved in the capital over the last 12 weeks. Alongside this, new measures will also prioritise essential remediation works, ensuring hundreds of existing buildings across the country are safe to live in.

"We are committed to maintaining this momentum and delivering a proportionateregime butremain clear that speed will never come at the cost of the essential safety standards that all current and future high-rise residents deserve."

Further information

In October 2025, the government and the Mayor of London announced an emergency package of time-limited measures to accelerate housebuilding in London.Apublic consultation wasformallylaunchedin November 2025. The government's response to the consultation can be read in full here and the GLA's response to the consultation can be read in full here.

The government and GLA have worked in partnership - responding to feedback from housebuilders and boroughs alike via recent consultations - to further amend the proposals and maximise the number of schemes that can take advantage of the measures.A summary of these measures, following consultation feedback, is here.

The new time limited planning route toexpeditenew affordable homes has been adjusted.The route will now be open tovalidatedapplications submitted by 31 March 2028, by which time the new London Plan is expected to have been adopted.Thelate stagegain-share mechanism has also been replaced by anEarly StageReview,with no further reviewsrequiredbeyond this.

Emergency relief from the Community Infrastructure Levy will now apply to eligible schemescommencingbefore 31 March 2030, with further simplified requirements and processes to access the relief and get schemes moving.

Alongside this thegovernmentwill laysecondary legislation in Parliamenttoexpand theMayor'splanning powers,this will come into forceinMayafter local elections.

Powers in the English Devolution Billwillgive theMayorgreater planning powers, including allowing certain called-in planning application to be dealt with by written representations instead of a hearing, which will save up to 6 months off the process.

As part of the £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme, the Greater London Authority openeditsbidding window last month for providers to come forward with ambitious bids for grant funding.Further details are available here.

Last month theMayorconfirmed a new City Hall Developer Investment Fund, following an initial £322 million allocated by the government in October 2025. £1.5 billion of low-interest loans is being allocated to support the delivery of social and affordable housing in London.

Earlier this year the government launched phase 2 of the New Homes Accelerator which includes expanding operations in London throughNHA LDNanda new planning support service for boroughs, ATLAS LDN.

Beam Park is a major regeneration scheme that was announced as a New Homes Accelerator site in February 2025. Over the past year the government has worked closely with the Greater London Authority, the Department for Transport, Transport for London (TfL),the rail operatorc2c, Network RailandLondonboroughsto unlockdevelopment,whilefunding challenges are resolved in parallel. More than1,100 homes have been completedso farand over 1,200 are currently under constructionwith a further 260nowprogrammed to deliver during this parliamentary term.

Through the Accelerator, the Department for Transport, the GLAand local partners have progressed timetable and performance work confirming that the proposed Beam Park station could be accommodated within the existing rail network.The flagship programme's work with the GLA and LB Barking and Dagenham as the local planning authority and the borough's regeneration company Be First, has also enabled the release of 1,500 homes blocked for the past 10 years behind a planning condition.

The GLA is leading and coordinating efforts toidentifyand assemble the funding package, working closely with LB Havering,TfLand wider partners.

Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.