For the past six weeks, councils have been providing feedback on a proposed plan for London, which will guide development and policy for the next ten years.
In a foreword, London mayor Sadiq Khan said the capital was facing a significant housing shortage, which he called a “crisis”.
He said: “It’s clear we face an extraordinary challenge, but one we must do everything we can to meet. We have no time to waste.
“That’s why, in the short-term, I want to see local planning become more flexible and focused on securing permissions for housing development.”
The Mayor of London’s office has suggested setting building heights that are acceptable in principle in all locations across London that share the same characteristics.
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But the council says the push for higher density housing may not align with its own assessment of Havering’s character.
In 2024, the town hall produced a character study earmarking zones for “gentle densification”.
These include sites across Romford town centre, Beam Park and around the Elizabeth line station in Harold Wood.
“The proposals in the consultation are likely to undermine the approach we have taken to ensure new development respects the character of the existing area,” the council says.
The mayor’s office has acknowledged “these are clearly very sensitive matters,” but said the new plan should “take a more active role in identifying and defining tall building clusters”.
Havering has also pushed for more support in building more family homes, amid a huge upswing in young families moving into the borough.
“Family numbers are increasing in Havering and there is a very significant identified need for family housing,” the council says.
“The London Plan should strongly support the delivery of family homes in those boroughs that can evidence that there is a significant need.”
Central government has indicated that London needs to build 88,000 more homes a year going forward.
The proposed plan will up the capital’s housing goal from 522,870 to 879,920 over the next decade, though individual borough targets have not yet been published.
Elsewhere, the Greater London Authority (GLA) has commissioned a review of all green and grey belt land in the city.
No details have been published on the areas being considered for “strategic, large-scale urban extensions” or new transport routes.
In the meantime, the council says it is undertaking its own green belt survey to provide evidence for its Local Plan, which guides development on a local level.
