Committee publication · Correspondence · 15 April 2026
Letter from the Secretary of State to the Chair dated 25 March 2026 concerning Homes for London
Summary
Secretary of State Steve Reed updates the Housing Committee Chair on the Government's Homes for London package, a time-limited support initiative for housebuilding. The package comprises five elements: a new planning route requiring 20% social/affordable housing with no viability assessment; temporary CIL relief; removal of density-constraining London Plan guidance; expanded mayoral planning call-in powers; and £324 million for a City Hall Developer Investment Fund targeting stalled sites.
Key findings
- New planning route allows developers to skip viability assessments if committing to at least 20% social and affordable housing, open until 31 March 2028
- Temporary CIL relief for eligible schemes applying before 31 March 2030, with higher relief for schemes exceeding 20% affordable housing
- Removal of dual aspect and cycle storage density constraints from London Plan Guidance as a signal of travel pending new plan adoption
- Mayoral planning call-in powers expanded via secondary legislation effective May 2026 to accelerate housing delivery
- £324 million initial allocation to City Hall Developer Investment Fund to prioritise housing completions on stalled sites
Tone
SupportiveTopics
Key actors
Steve Reed OBE MP (Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government), Florence Eshalomi MP (Chair, Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee), Mayor of London, Greater London Authority (GLA), London boroughs
Notable line
“Taking all of these changes together, we are confident they will help unlock stalled schemes and enable more social and affordable housing to be built across London.”
Key Quotes
“We are all deeply committed to ensuring that Londoners have the homes they desperately need – of all tenures, but especially social and affordable homes.”
“This tailored London approach is taking urgent action to accelerate housebuilding, including of social and affordable housing, and which will help to address London's temporary accommodation crisis.”
“A new time limited planning route, enabling developers to secure permission without a viability assessment on private land where they commit to at least 20 per cent social and affordable housing”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗