London mayor Ken Livingstone intends to insist that the eventual developer of the £2bn Wood Wharf scheme next to Canary Wharf guarantees that more than 50% of the accommodation is affordable housing.
Insiders at the Greater London Authority say that Livingstone is keen to see half of the 1500 residential units on the 8 ha site classified as affordable, even though the owner of Wood Wharf, British Waterways, only pencilled in 30% in the masterplan.

A GLA source said: "We would like to see 50% affordable housing on the scheme, possibly more than that."

It is understood that the mayor sees Wood Wharf as an appropriate place for such a large slice of key worker and social housing because British Waterways is a public corporation.

British Waterways responded by noting that that its masterplan had been adopted into Tower Hamlets council's planning guidance. This calls for 30% of affordable housing.

British Waterways has unveiled a longlist of nine developers to act as its partner on Wood Wharf.

They are: Amec Developments & Morley Fund Management; Argent; British Land; Canary Group & Manhattan Loft Corporation; Development Securities; Grosvenor Estates; Hammerson UK; the Miller group; and Stanhope & First Base.

A shortlist will be announced in July and the preferred bidder will be chosen in October.