London Mayor announces largest TfL site so far for major housing boost

• Transport for London seeking a partner for east London site capable of delivering 1,500 homes
• Forty per cent of homes at Limmo Peninsula will be genuinely affordable
• Development will secure vital long-term income to be reinvested in the transport network

Plans to transform a key Elizabeth Line tunnelling site into a new neighbourhood with 1,500 homes has been revealed today by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

The Mayor has announced that Transport for London (TfL) is seeking a partner to develop its largest site of land - the Limmo Peninsula in East London.

It is proposed that 600 of the homes (40 per cent) of the homes built on the 12.3 acre site will be genuinely affordable.

Since becoming Mayor, Sadiq has worked with TfL to release sites for development to fulfil a manifesto pledge to unlock public land to build genuinely affordable homes for Londoners. Across all sites brought forward since Sadiq’s election, 50 per cent of the homes will be affordable – with individual sites contributing between 35 and 100 per cent – enabling TfL to deliver housing whilst also generating hundreds of millions of pounds to reinvest in transport.

Sadiq has already brought forward sites including at Kidbrooke, delivering 400 homes of which half will be affordable, Landmark Court in Southwark, which has the potential to deliver a mixed-use scheme with 35 per cent affordable housing, and Fenwick South in Lambeth, which will provide 55 homes, 100 per cent of which will be social housing.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The Limmo Peninsula has the capacity to be transformed into a booming new East London neighbourhood. With Elizabeth Line works almost complete, I am pleased that Transport for London is now in a position to bring forward this site for development.

“It is part of my strategy to free up public land and to use it to build the homes that our great city so desperately needs. It is no secret that it will take many years to fix London’s housing crisis, and we ultimately need Government support – but schemes such as this prove that we are can make a real difference now by delivering high-quality neighbourhoods with a large proportion of genuinely affordable homes.”

Sadiq inherited a legacy of just 13 per cent affordable homes in planning permissions approved toward the end of the previous Mayoralty – this has increased across all planning applications in the first six months of last year to 38 per cent.

Sadiq has secured from the Government investment in 90,000 new affordable homes, including those based on social rent levels. His new draft London Plan has ambitious targets to boost housing across the city.

Limmo Peninsula is located near Canning Town Tube station, which is served by the Jubilee line and DLR, and forms a key part of the Canning Town and Custom House regeneration area. The development will be residential-led, creating a new neighbourhood set in an attractive location next to the River Lea.

Val Shawcross, Deputy Mayor for Transport, said: “I am pleased that TfL is now bringing this site forward for development. With the Elizabeth Line opening soon, there is no doubt that regenerating the Limmo Peninsula for new housing is the best possible outcome.”

Graeme Craig, Director of Commercial Development at TfL, said: “This is the biggest site yet that we’ve released to our Property Partnership Framework and is a great example of a high-density development enabled by excellent transport links. Limmo Peninsula will make a significant contribution to meeting London’s demand for more affordable homes. It’s hugely exciting to be supporting growth in this area of east London and the development will secure vital long-term income that we can reinvest in the transport network.”

Sir Robin Wales Mayor of Newham, said: "This new development in Canning Town is exciting news for Newham and will contribute to the ongoing transformation of the area. The site will deliver much needed affordable homes, create jobs and improve infrastructure.

"London's growth is clearly moving east and the imminent arrival of Crossrail is accelerating this so the delivery of more affordable homes for our residents is imperative.

"We look forward to working closely with TfL, the Mayor of London and all other partners over the coming months on this development and ensure it benefits our residents."

Melanie Leech, Chief Executive, British Property Federation said: “Unlocking new sites for housing is vital in meeting London’s desperate need for more homes. In London, working with TfL and capitalising on sites such as this to add to housing supply is critical, particularly when the Mayor has an ambitious target of 65,000 new homes each year.”

Notes to editors:

TfL has invited bids for Limmo Peninsula from interested members of the TfL Property Partnership Framework. TfL expects to be in a position to announce a preferred partner later this year to form a joint venture partnership to develop the site.

When planning the Elizabeth line, Crossrail Ltd integrated the designs for 12 major property developments over and around the new stations along the railway and other key locations. TfL is now progressing plans for retail, commercial and residential developments at a number of these sites.

TfL is developing its land through a range of routes including its Property Partnerships Framework, direct development, site specific joint ventures with neighbouring landowners, the GLA’s Small Sites Small Builders programme, and through the open market.

TfL launched the Property Partnership Framework in 2016. Following a competitive tender process, TfL approved the appointment of 13 leading property development companies and consortiums that it could work with to develop its sites. This provides a ready pool of partners eligible to bid to work with TfL in joint ventures as sites become available. This will ensure thousands of homes, offices and retail spaces across London can be delivered more efficiently and quickly.

Sites brought forward for development by Transport for London so far are:

• Landmark Court, Southwark – potential for more than 80 homes – 35 per cent affordable housing
• Kidbrooke, Greenwich – potential for 400 homes – 50 per cent affordable
• Fenwick South, Lambeth – potential for 55 homes, 100 per cent affordable
• Blackhorse Road, Waltham Forest – potential for 350 homes, 50 per cent affordable
• Northwood, Hillingdon – potential for 100 homes, 35 per cent affordable

Of TfL’s first six sites, four – Kidbrooke in Greenwich, Landmark Court in Southwark, Blackhorse Road in Waltham Forest and Northwood in Hillingdon – were brought to the TfL Property Partnership Framework. South Kensington was brought to the open market as the site is uniquely suited to more niche developers. TfL is directly developing Fenwick South.