Response - Homes for London: the London Housing Strategy

By: Shelter
Published: February 2014

Response - Homes for London: the London Housing Strategy

The housing challenge facing London is immense. The London Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) estimates at least 49,000 homes a year will be needed for the next decade if we are to meet rising demand, and also the huge backlog of homes required. Within this, there is also an estimated need for 25,000 affordable homes.

 

The Mayor has outlined a series of measures to help address this challenge, and Shelter believes the right areas have been identified to focus on. Interventions in the land market, significant investment, and stimulation of self-build and SME builders will be critical to addressing the housing shortage facing London. However Shelter has genuine concerns regarding the affordability of projected housing delivery in London. Not only does the target of 17,000 homes per year fall short of the requirements laid out in the SHMA, the composition of affordable housing doesn’t match the make up as recommended in the SHMA.