It’s been a good day to bury bad news!
The Government has published new legislation that will allow private developers to demolish vacant residential or commercial buildings and rebuild them as flats, without planning permission, through Permitted Development Rights

At the same time, they’ve published a report today showing the terrible track record of Permitted Development homes built so far. Last year, my former colleague @TomCopley published a report calling these the “slums of the future”

Today’s research shows just how true that is. Three-quarters are smaller than minimum space standards. 72% only have single aspect windows. 97% do not have any outdoor space, like a balcony or patio, let alone a garden. Imagine living through lockdown in one of these “homes”!

And unlike homes approved through the planning system, PD conversions do not have to comply with affordable housing obligations. More than 16,000 homes have been built this way in London since 2013, and only 71 of those were affordable homes. They do not meet London’s needs.

Far from speeding up the planning system, the extension of these measures announced today will only exacerbate overcrowding, accelerate the decline of our high streets and obliterate attempts at net zero carbon development

This Government has said it wants to “build better, build beautiful”, but these proposals will undo work by successive Mayors, and councils across London, to promote high quality standards of design and sustainability in new homes.

And this is not a party-political issue. It is the London Assembly’s unanimous view that these proposals are wrong for London and Londoners, as my colleague and Chair of the Planning Committee @AndrewBoff recently wrote to the Secretary of State https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/london_assembly_planning_committee_-_letter_to_mhclg_pdr.pdf