Mayor accused of plans to 'crush' London boroughs

Arbour warns of tower blocks 'from Chiswick to Bedfont'

A major row has broken out between the Mayor and the local Tory GLA representative over housing policy in London.

In an interview with Inside Housing magazine, Neale Coleman, the Mayor's Director of Business Planning and Regeneration said the Mayor has been justified in speaking out against boroughs that have defied the London Plan's policies. He also said that the Mayor should have overall responsibility for housing investment in London. The Mayor's London Plan envisages an annual target of 30,000 homes being built in the capital each year with 50% of them being affordable.

The plan's targets may prove difficult to reach due to objections to planned developments at the borough level. The Mayor has already threatened to 'crush' opposition from within boroughs if they oppose his plans saying that his opponents were 'nimbys' with a 'stupid approach'.

Tony Arbour, who is the Conservative Planning Spokesman in the GLA said, "This represents an attack on the freedom of the boroughs such as Hounslow and is part of Livingstone's threat to 'crush' them. I fear that this is part of Livingstone's plan to increase his power at the expense of London's unique communities and environment. The residents OF Hounslow know better than the Mayor what is best for their local areas."

He promised that his party would defend the rights of the boroughs against what he described as the Mayor's centrist tendencies warning that failure to do so would mean "we will wake up one morning and find wall to wall tower blocks from Chiswick to Bedfont."

Ken Livingstone, blasted Tony Arbour accusing him of 'scaremongering and obfuscation'. He said 'Let's remember what the issue is. It's nothing to do with tower blocks or the powers of the boroughs. It's about the urgent need for more affordable homes in Richmond and throughout London - and just why Tony Arbour is opposing that."

He singled out the borough of Richmond, where Tony Arbour is the Council leader, as being particularly out of step with his policy.

The Mayor says both an independent inquiry into the London Plan and a recent poll show strong backing for the objective of 50% affordable housing. Steve Norris had campaigned on a platform of abandoning the plan and Ken Livingstone claims his re-election gives him a strong mandate to proceed.

August 10, 2004