Council leaders in Kingston have reacted with scepticism after the Greater London Authority (GLA,) published housing target figures for the borough which are double their initial estimation.
Figures from the GLA reveal the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is being asked to build 1,364 new homes as part of the new London Plan, significantly more than initially thought.
This long-term spatial development strategy sets out a long-term framework for economic, environmental, transport, and social development over the next 20–25 years.
Councillor Kevin Davis, leader of Kingston Council, said: “Creating ‘good growth’ is about creating ‘appropriate growth’ and ensuring that the quality of life of our existing residents is maintained. This is the test we’ll be applying to the Mayor’s figures.”
This statement perks the interests of many going forward, by the very nature of these figures being a lot larger than expected.
The London Plan forms a legal part of the individual borough development plan documents, which must therefore be taken into account when planning decisions are taken in any part of London, unless there are planning reasons against this.
Councillor Davis added: “Until we see the detail of how the Mayor has arrived at these enormous figures, it is difficult to comment further but we will be engaging with our residents and responding to the Mayor in due course.”
These decisions will shape the future of the borough and includes land use policies, forming the legal basis for deciding planning applications, allocating land and encouraging investments.
A full review of the London Plan is currently being processed by the Mayor. A draft of the plan is due to be published next month ahead of the official plan scheduled to be published in 2019.
