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Mayor calls in L&Q scheme after rejection
London mayor Sadiq Khan has called in a planning application from a housing association which was rejected by a west London borough.
Hounslow Council rejected plans from L&Q to build 427 homes at a site in Brentford, with 40% of them considered ‘affordable’.
The borough cited the impact on ‘local heritage sites’ including Kew Gardens – the large historic botanical gardens in west London – in rejecting the application on 16 February.
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Mr Khan said he would work with L&Q to increase the amount of affordable housing beyond 40%. Currently, 107 shared ownership and 61 social rented homes are planned.
Mr Khan said: “I have been clear that I will use the full range of my planning powers to help get London building the new and genuinely affordable housing we so desperately need.
“This rejected application in Brentford already delivers a good number of affordable homes, but by taking it over, it gives me the opportunity to work with the housing association, L&Q, to increase the levels even further.”
L&Q and Hounslow Council have been contacted for comment.
Mr Khan has intervened in four previous planning disputes, three times to raise rates of affordable housing and once previously to approve a scheme a council had rejected with 41% affordable housing.
A spokesperson for L&Q said: “We can confirm that the mayor of London has called in our application to build 427 new homes at the Citroen site in Capital Interchange Way, Brentford.
“We look forward to working with the mayor to bring more high quality, affordable homes to Hounslow.”
Andrew Boff, housing spokesperson for the City Hall Conservatives, said: “This call-in amounts to another battle in the mayor’s war on the suburbs. It completely neglects and overrides the local council’s decision not to build tower blocks that would negatively impact the environment and local heritage sites.
“It’s disappointing that the Mayor has chosen once again to overrule a local council that has raised serious concerns about the proposals."
