Our semi-regular roundup of housing and development news.
Can't afford your rent? Struggling to find somewhere to live? You're not alone. London's housing market is nuts at the moment, whether you rent or buy or sleep on someone's couch. Arguments are raging about whether to build on the Green Belt. NIMBYs face off against YIMBYs in the eternal struggle to get something built. At the same time, London is being gradually transformed by major new commercial developments. We thought we'd round everything up into one easy-to-digest summary.
New developments
Liverpool Street station: A formal planning application to radically revamp the station has now been filed. It's fair to say that the £1.5 billion plan to revamp Liverpool Street station did not receive universal acclaim when it was teased about a year ago. The scheme would see a complete change of layout with a new ground-level concourse, improved accessibility to the tube, and some funky curves from Tate Modern architects Herzog & de Meuron. To make the scheme commercially viable, a hulking office block would perch over the station, and it is this that has most incensed campaigners. "Like putting a giant clown's hat on top of St Paul's Cathedral," says Griff Rhys Jones, who heads up an unprecedented coalition of heritage organisations called Save Liverpool Street Station. Undeterred, the developers are pressing ahead with the planning application. Campaigners are organising a free public meeting about the proposed development on 21 November 2023 from 6pm at the Bishopsgate Institute, 230 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 4QH
City in the year 2030: Above is a glimpse of how the Square Mile might look in 2030, if all the projects in the planning pipeline go ahead. At first glance, it looks much like the scene today. But look closer and you'll see that three of the four tallest towers do not currently exist (1 Undershaft, 100 Leadenhall Street and 55 Bishopsgate). Also, the "gap" between the Walkie-Talkie and the main cluster has been filled in with new mid-rises. We can't help but notice that the blocky office proposal for Liverpool Street station has not been added to the mix. Interesting.
Ladbroke Grove: West London could soon be getting a whole new neighbourhood. Plans are afoot for 2,500 new homes, two parks and a "reinstated historic canal basin" to help with the placemaking. The 19-acre brownfield site rubs up against the Grand Union Canal, and is best known for the pair of Victorian gasholders that, until recently, dominated the skyline. Dubbed Kensal Canalside, the development is a joint venture between Ballymore and Sainsbury's (who would also build a superstore on site). Construction should begin in 2025, pending planning permission.
Stonebridge Park: A 515-home development beside Stonebridge Park tube station has been granted approval by Brent Council. When complete, the 34-storey central tower will become the tallest building in the borough.
Housing news
Homelessness: Grim news from the Big Issue. 4,068 homeless people were counted on the streets of London over summer. It's the highest quarterly number since records began, and a 12% increase on the same period last year. The surge is partly attributed to a rise in refugees who find themselves without a home. 52% of London's street homeless are now from countries other than the UK.
Rent hikes: And more grim reading from the Standard. In a stats-heavy article, we learn that asking rents have risen by a THIRD since the pandemic. If the numbers are to be believed (and there is a bit of questionable averaging going on), a typical household now spends 85% of its income on rent, which is clearly insane. We also learn that the typical property viewing now has 19 applicants. But there is, possibly, light at the end of the tunnel. Foxtons reports a 10% increase in supply over the past year and a 13% drop in demand.
Evictions: Even if you can afford your rent, it's no guarantee of your tenancy. A new study from City Hall shows that almost 300 London renters per week are facing "no fault" evictions — that is, being kicked out simply because their landlord wants the place vacated. These cruel evictions, also called Section 21 notices, were themselves to get the boot, but it now emerges that reforms to the court system mean we're stuck with them for the immediate future.
Green belt: For decades, London's Green Belt has limited the sprawl of London. But as the housing crisis deepens, calls are growing for a rewrite of regulations to allow more house building on Green Belt land — much of which is not the pristine leafy paradise conjured up by the phrase. Now, a new survey suggests that two-thirds of young Londoners would like to see the policy reviewed — something that Sir Keir Starmer recently promised to do if Labour win the next election. The survey also found that a quarter of those who don't own their home are thinking of leaving London in the next year. It should be noted that the survey was conducted by a housing developer.
Golf course homes: One oft-touted option for new homes is to build on golf courses. These take up large amounts of land for the leisure benefit of a small number of people. Up in Enfield, architectural firm RCKa has worked up an imaginative scheme to halve a council-owned golf course. The vision would create 650 new homes and still leave a nine-hole course. No trees would be felled, and the development would create nature trails, "rewilded parkland" and favour cycling and walking over cars. The scheme does not yet have council backing, but shows one way to strike a balance between the need for new homes, supporting existing use, and protecting wildlife.
