Conservatives pledge to rewrite London Plan and clear way to tens of thousands of new homes

The Conservatives have today [Monday 6 October] announced they will rewrite the London Plan, clearing the path to tens of thousands of new homes in our capital.

The London Plan - the statutory development strategy for the capital, written by the Mayor - was set for review under the last government due to its abject failure to deliver the homes London needs.

However, Angela Rayner abandoned the review last year, letting her Labour ally Sadiq Khan completely off the hook. That review could have potentially unlocked 16,800 acres of brownfield land, creating space for new housing.

Labour also reduced the housing targets for their Mayor, and yet Khan has still missed them – and missed them by a country mile. Estimates suggest just 5,000 new private dwellings will be started in the capital this year. Contrast that with the 88,000 total new homes needed in London every year to meet Labour's 1.5 million national target.

The consequences for Londoners are obvious. People can't afford to buy homes. In 1980, the average London home cost £25,700. Today, it is £562,000.

Today, Sir James Cleverly MP, Shadow Housing Secretary, pledged to reverse the decline by rewriting the London Plan. The Conservatives will put our capital front and centre of tackling the housing crisis, delivering the homes our young families need and growing our economy in the process.

Sir James Cleverly MP, Shadow Housing Secretary, said:

“London has the potential to drive a housebuilding boom in our country.

“Yet under Sadiq Khan, housebuilding in our capital has dropped to its lowest level since 2009.

“Labour have let him off the hook, cutting his housing target and letting the failing London Plan stagger on unchanged.

“The Conservatives will rewrite in the London Plan and ensure Londoners get the homes they need.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Sadiq Khan is failing Londoners on housing:

After failing to build enough homes in London, Sadiq Khan has announced plans to build on London's green spaces. Sadiq Khan has announced plans to build on London's green spaces and Green Belt, with all Green Belt being reviewed in London, despite there being brownfield sites available to build on (The Guardian, 9 May 2025, link, Mayor of London, 9 May 2025, link).

Sadiq Khan's plan to concrete over green spaces and the Green Belt puts 34,000 hectares of land at risk of being built on. London has 34,780 hectares that has been designated as Green Belt, which is 22.1 per cent of London's land in total. Labour are now threatening to be able to build on this following Sadiq Khan's announcement (MHCLG, Local authority green belt statistics for England: 2023 to 2024, 5 December 2024, link).

Under Sadiq Khan, housebuilding in London has slumped to its lowest level since 2009. Housebuilding in London has slumped to its lowest level since 2009, while Molior estimate that in London, just 2,158 private homes began construction during the first half of 2025. It is now estimated that overall only 5,000 private homes will be started this year in London (The Standard, 3 October 2025, link, The Standard, 28 April 2025, link, Molior, Residential Development in London: Q2 2025, July 2025, link).

Angela Rayner cancelled the review into the London Plan for housing. Angela Rayner cancelled the review into the London Plan for housing, withdrawing the mandated review and instead pledging a ‘partnership approach' (MHCLG, Press Release, 30 September 2024, link). 

Angela Rayner cut the local housing need target in London from 98,822 to 87,992, a reduction of 11 per cent, despite increasing the national target for England. Angela Rayner has cut the housing need target in London by 10.9 per cent, from 98,822 to 87,992 which is a reduction of 35,533 houses. This is in comparison to increasing the national target from 305,223 to 370,408, an increase of 21.3 per cent (MHCLG, New Standard Method Indicative Local Housing Need, 27 February 2025, link). 

In March 2024, Secretary of State Michael Gove wrote to Sadiq Khan to review the London Plan to unlock brownfield land for development. Due to Sadiq Khan's failures to build housing in London, Michael Gove ordered a review of the London Plan which included reviewing what regulations were holding back development of homes on brownfield sites and industrial sites. At the time, Khan's policies were holding back the ability to potentially develop 16,803 acres of industrial or brownfield land, should developers choose to do so (DLUHC, Housebuilding in London: Letter to the Mayor of London regarding housing delivery in London, 18 March 2024, link).