Mayor of London Boris Johnson has announced plans to build 12,000 new homes in four new housing zones in London. The newly unveiled plans will see huge swathes of the city transformed and give London a much-needed housing boost. The latest zones to be announced will be located in Enfield, Tower Hamlets, Havering and Redbridge.

Although 12,000 homes are slated to be built, just 3,500 of these properties will be designated “affordable housing”. With increasing numbers of people already being priced out of the capital, some are sceptical of London’s latest raft of housebuilding schemes.

This project is to be part of a much wider housebuilding mission, which will see 15 Housing Zones created across London, accommodating 45,109 homes. 14,055 of these homes will be affordable housing.

Yet, whatever your thoughts on affordable housing, there’s no denying that this push for more home building is proving dynamic. A collaboration between the UK Government, the Greater London Authority and local London boroughs, the process is seeing approval processes streamlined and developments fast-tracked to get more homes built faster. With £162m in funding, new Housing Zones are springing up rapidly across London.

To accompany and facilitate these new areas of housing, more infrastructure is also being built in tandem. Two new rail stations are to be built, alongside new primary schools, a new park and fresh retail and entertainment developments. Here’s a quick preview of the four newly announced zones:

  • Havering, Rainham and Beam Park Housing Zone
    • 12 square kilometres
    • New Beam Park rail station
    • 3,457 new homes, 941 of which will be affordable
  • Enfield, Meridian Water Housing Zone
    • Development of Angel Road Station into Meridian Water Station
    • 3,650 new homes, 1,460 of which will be affordable
  • Redbridge, Ilford Town Centre Housing Zone
    • 4,000 construction jobs created & 150 apprenticeships
    • Designed to benefit from the new Crossrail project in the area
    • 2,189 new homes, 553 of which will be affordable
  • Tower Hamlets, Poplar Riverside Housing Zone
    • 2 new primary schools
    • 1 new park with 4 footbridges over the River Lea
    • 3,034 new homes, 448 of which will be affordable

What do you make of London’s upcoming Housing Zone projects? Share your thoughts and opinions with other tradespeople below.