Initiative aims to be build thousands of new homes from next April
London mayor Sadiq Khan has outlined his plans for a new generation of social housing across the capital.
He said a £4bn affordable homes programme (AHP) will help build thousands of new social housing homes between 2021 and 2026.
The new AHP will run concurrently with the current 2016-23 programme, which has been extended by one year due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Together they will result in the delivery of 82,000 new homes from April 2021 onwards, Khan (pictured) added.
Housing providers wishing to bid for funds from the new AHP will have to meet a series of conditions on building safety and design.
These include the installation of sprinklers or other fire suppression systems in new blocks of flats and a ban on combustible materials being used in external walls for all residential development, regardless of height.
Firms will also be required to meet minimum floor-to-ceiling heights and a requirement for private outdoor space, as well as a ‘sunlight clause’ requiring all homes with three or more bedrooms to be dual aspect.
Any single aspect one- or two-bedroom homes need to not be north-facing and have at least one room with direct sunlight for at least part of the day.
Providers must also live up to new equality, diversity and inclusion standards, with training for all employees, a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination and a commitment to recruiting from diverse and under-represented groups.
They will also be expected to publish details of their gender and ethnicity pay gaps.
Research undertaken by the GLA and G15 – London’s largest housing associations – last year showed London needed £4.9bn a year for the next 10 years to meet the capital’s level of affordable housing need.
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