London Mayor Sadiq Khan has pledged to dramatically accelerate housebuilding across the capital, while defending the necessity of building on some Green Belt land to address the deepening housing crisis. This commitment comes as the North London borough of Haringey celebrates a significant milestone: the completion of its 1,000th new council home.
Defending the Record Amid a 'Perfect Storm'
In an exclusive interview, Mayor Khan acknowledged recent challenges but remained optimistic about future delivery. He pointed to a complex "perfect storm" that has slowed construction, citing factors including the economic fallout from the previous Conservative government's policies, the impact of Liz Truss's mini-budget on interest rates, post-Brexit complications, and soaring construction material costs, with concrete inflation exceeding 50 per cent.
"Since I've been Mayor, we've broken records," Khan stated. "The most council homes have been built since the 1970s, the most homes completed since the 1930s. On average, there's been 10,000 more homes completed when I've been Mayor compared to the previous Mayor."
New Funding and Future Targets
The Mayor outlined a series of measures designed to kickstart recovery. A pivotal deal with the government has secured £322 million for a City Hall Development Investment Fund aimed at unlocking stalled sites, alongside a long-term commitment of £11.7 billion for affordable and social housing over the next decade.
"I think you'll see in 2026 and over the next two, three years in this federal term, real acceleration in homes being started and completed," Khan asserted, referencing an emergency package of measures.
However, scrutiny remains on the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP). While the Mayor met the 2016-2023 target of 116,000 starts, the current 2021-2026 programme faces a significant shortfall. The original target of 35,000 starts by March 2026 has been revised down to a minimum of 17,800, yet only 6,370 affordable homes had been started by September 2025.
Khan insisted his administration is "on course" to meet the March target and emphasised a focus on genuine affordability, including social rents and 6,000 London Living Rent homes with rent controls.
Haringey's Milestone and Borough Collaboration
The celebration in Haringey underscores the collaborative model between City Hall and local boroughs. City Hall supported the borough's programme with £43.5 million in funding for schemes like the 272-home Wingspan Walk development.
Haringey Council Leader Peray Ahmet highlighted the crucial role of this partnership. "We couldn't have done this alone," she told reporters. "This is a collaboration between ourselves and the GLA, so huge thanks to the Mayor of London and the team because with their support we've been able to do this."
Planning Reforms and Green Belt Debate
Admitting that "business as usual won't work," Khan defended recent planning reforms, including reducing affordability quotas for developers from 35 to 20 per cent. He argued for a pragmatic approach to land use, stating the need to build high-density homes on brownfield sites while also considering parts of the Green Belt.
"We're going to recognise a lot of the green belt is poor quality, badly maintained, inaccessible to public transport," he said. "If we can improve accessibility... we should be building with the right conditions on poorly maintained, poor quality green belt."
The Mayor positioned the next few years as critical, promising that by the 2028 mayoral election, Londoners would see tangible results from these efforts, with more homes completed and stalled projects unlocked.
