Outgoing housing secretary Michael Gove has thrown his weight behind City A.M.’s ‘Build Baby Build’ campaign ahead of the July 4 general election.
The senior Tory, who is standing down in his Surrey Heath constituency, spoke to City A.M. at a visit to west London housing development, Kew Bridge Rise, in Brentford, on Thursday.
Asked if he would support the paper’s recently launched campaign, calling for planning reform to prevent vested interests and noisy minorities blocking projects that are essential for London’s growth and prosperity, Gove said: “100 per cent.”
And he threw out a challenge to London mayor Sadiq Khan, adding: “The key question will be will the Mayor of London back the campaign as well.”
Gove also stressed that there were several key issues holding back development in London.
He said: “I think the London Plan is undoubtedly one of the biggest, of which he [Khan] is responsible.
“I think also the fact that he set the threshold of affordable housing so high… he, of course, like me, recognises the importance of increasing affordable housing.
“But if you raise the threshold too high then, as you know, development is no longer viable. It just doesn’t go ahead – instead of getting half of 200 homes, you get half of precisely zero.”
And the former MP continued: “More than that, I think that there is a need to tackle some of the legacy EU regulation that stands in the way of development.
“And that’s not to weaken environmental protections, it is to ensure that we don’t have a combination of the habitats directive, species licencing and other rules, all reinforcing each other in a way that means that a massive amount is spent on bureaucracy rather than the money being spent on new buildings and or nature.”
The project is being developed by The Hill and L&Q, with some of the homes being marketed as affordable.
But none of the flats for sale fall under the £425,000 stamp duty threshold the Tories say they would make permanent for first-time buyers.
The mayor of London has been approached for comment.