'Design disconnect' threatens London housing

There is a growing disconnect between what Londoners want to see built and the developments that are actually being delivered, the London Assembly planning committee has warned.

With 880,000 new homes needed in London over the next decade, "failing to align new development with public sentiment risks fuelling opposition, increasing delays and undermining delivery", it warned in a letter to London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.

Assembly member James Small-Edwards said: "This is about ensuring we get the quantity and the quality at the same time. I don't think they're mutually exclusive."

A spokesperson for Sir Sadiq said: "The mayor is committed to ensuring Londoners shape the development of their city."

Small-Edwards said: "What we want to see the mayor do is work with boroughs to create design codes that involve local people, pay them for their time so that you get quite a representative sample of people just to see what it is people like, what development that people will accept.

"I think that will de-risk a lot of housing development because what we're seeing at the minute is often pushback from local people with what comes forward.

"The focus on quantity in terms of new housing is really needed, absolutely. The housing crisis for me is the biggest issue we face in London."

With large windows, tinkling pools and garden spaces, Appleby Blue Almshouse in Bermondsey, south-east London, is a modern interpretation of traditional social housing, providing affordable flats for over-65s.

The complex, which is run by United St Saviour's, boasts 59 flats plus communal facilities including a roof garden, courtyard and kitchen. It won the prestigious architecture award, the 2025 Stirling Prize, for Britain's best new building.

Architect Stephen Witherford, a director at Witherford Watson Mann, said: "It's often spoken about by the residents here that it's the first place they've ever lived in their lives where they felt someone cared about the place.

"The starting point is imagination. What do you want to make possible for people's lives?

"With a lot of mechanically thought-about housing, or cramming as much on a site as you can in tight timeframes, I think people lose that imagination."

A spokesperson for the mayor of London said: "His good growth by design programme champions the involvement of communities in decision-making.

"As the next London Plan is developed, we will continue working closely with partners, stakeholders and boroughs to ensure that all voices are heard, as we build a better London for everyone."

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