There will be 20 housing zones located in the capital and these are expected to deliver approximately 50,000 new homes. Earlier this year, Johnson announced 11 housing zones; this recent announcement brings the total number to 15.
According to the mayor's statement £162 million has been allocated to fund the new housing zones, "which are a collaborative effort between Greater London Authority (GLA), the government and local boroughs to streamline approval processes and fast track development in areas it may not otherwise happen."
Rainham and Beam Park housing zone in Havering covers 12 square kilometres and is one of the biggest zones. This site includes GLA owned Beam Park which was recently released by the mayor. This zone will deliver 3,457 new homes, of which 941 will be allocated as affordable homes, a new Beam Park rail station and a garden suburb.
Poplar Riverside housing zone in Tower Hamlets is one of the highest density areas of London and is within the Lower Lea Valley opportunity area. New homes in this housing zone will be delivered over two phases. The first phase will provide 3,034 new homes and 448 affordable homes; it is expected the second phases will be able to deliver a similar number of units. The plans also contain 3,000 new jobs, schools, a park and four new footbridges over the River Lea.
The plans for Ilford town centre housing zone in Redbridge include 2,189 new homes, 533 will be affordable homes and commercial office space. The location of this housing zone can take advantage of the arrival of Crossrail. It is expected that up to 4,000 construction jobs will be created and 150 apprenticeships.
Meridian Water housing zone in Enfield has been designed to complement the canal district. 3,650 new homes will be built, 1,460 of which will be affordable. Angel Road station will be redeveloped and renamed Meridian Water station which will have connections to central London.
“Housing zones will provide the swift delivery of new homes for Londoners that is so desperately needed and create entirely new, highly-connected urban districts for generations to come," said Johnson. "By freeing up empty brownfield sites from lengthy approval processes and providing a funding boost, we can ensure new housing capacity is created in areas where it might never otherwise have happened. I am very pleased that the announcement of four more housing zones today brings us within touching distance of our aim to create 50,000 new homes through this innovative scheme.”
Planning expert Jo Miles of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, said: "This announcement brings the total number of housing zones to 15, leaving a further five zones to be announced by the end of the year if the GLA is to meet its target of 20 housing zones by the end of 2015."
"Each successful borough will be held to account in delivering the agreed outputs for their designated housing zone via a suite of funding agreements with the GLA," said Miles. " A fundamental principle enshrined in these agreements will be the GLA's right to withhold funding or terminate where outputs are not being delivered, with progress towards milestones being closely monitored. It will be interesting to see how these arrangements work in practice across the housing zones, particularly as each zone will be subject to bespoke outputs and agreed terms."