Release will help meet target of 50,000 affordable homes in the capital by next Spring

Boris Johnson has announced plans to release public land for the development of 3,500 homes in London.

The plots of land, owned by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), will be developed to help the Mayor of London meet his target of delivering 50,000 affordable homes by Spring 2012.

The sites include 8.1ha at Lymington Fields in Dagenham where Countryside Properties and Metropolitan Housing Trust are already building 193 homes.

Johnson said: “At a time of tough financial belt tightening and a need for more affordable homes, releasing these sites for development boosts housing supply and provides a welcome shot in the arm for jobs and the capital’s economy.”

Members of the HCA’s delivery partner panel, which includes Taylor Wimpey, Galliford Try and Crest Nicholson, will now be invited to apply to develop the new sites.