Only half of people living in London are open to more homes being built despite a housing shortage in the capital, a new piece of research has found.
The proportion of Londoners open to new homes being built in their local area has fallen in the last year to 50%, down from 57% the previous year, according to the You Gov poll for business group London First.
However, it does confirm that housing clearly remains a priority, with 66% saying the Government is not spending enough time on addressing the issue and 74% saying there is a housing shortage in the capital.
London First says that the poll’s findings underline the importance for innovation in new planning and development schemes in London, in order to change perceptions toward building new homes.
It says that some 8.6 billion is needed to meet what it considers as a realistic home building target in London of 66,000 new homes a year.
‘The falling number of people ready to welcome new homes in their area is a concern, particularly given we know that housing remains a priority for Londoners,’ said London First chief executive officer, Jasmine Whitbread.
‘Our research shows an additional £8.6 billion of investment must be unlocked if we’re to meet the London Plan target of building 66,000 new homes a year. As well as getting the funding in place, we also need to persuade Londoners that new housing will benefit the places they live in,’ she pointed out.
Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills, Jules Pipe, said that the poll underlines the Mayor’s view that central Government must give London greater freedom and resources to build more of the homes that are needed.
According to Craig McWilliam, chief executive officer of Grosvenor Britain & Ireland, the poll highlights bigger issues, most importantly that people do not trust in the planning process and see little personal benefit in greater numbers of homes in their area.
‘The housing shortage is not someone else’s problem. If we don’t tackle it together then London’s success and ability to attract and retain talent will be threatened. Both local leaders and developers must do more to create places with communities that people want to, and are proud to, live in,’ he said.
