London Mayor wants public land released for new homes

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is calling on the government to release more disused public land in the capital to enable developers to significantly increase the supply of new build homes in an effort to help meet London's housing needs.

In a speech made during a visit to Catford last week where 500 new homes are currently being developed, the Mayor said that that he wanted to be able to fast track the development of thousands of new homes on a host of public land sites across the capital.

The former Catford Dogs Stadium site in Lewisham, for instance, had been vacant for more than a decade before coming into the Mayor's control. Now around 87% of the site is in development.

Johnson said that there is the capacity for thousands more new homes to be built on vacant public land across London.

The Mayor's aim to redevelop disused public land is one strand of his comprehensive Housing Strategy designed to significantly increase the supply of new homes in order to meet the needs of people living in London.

Mayor Johnson said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for us to work with the government and unlock the potential of the many empty and unused sites across the capital. Rapid redevelopment, regeneration and most importantly thousands of new homes for Londoners could be just around the corner given the necessary fast-tracking powers."