In the first six months of 2015 50% more inner London boroughs were granted planning permissions than outer – with 11,970 new homes being given the green light from 12,944 applications compared to 7,960 from 12,116 applications.
The results are somewhat surprising given that inner London is more densely populated, consists of a smaller land mass and has 13 boroughs compared to 20 outside.
Particularly harsh councils in the outer boroughs were Kingston and Hillingdon, which refused 70% and 69% of homes requested. The inner boroughs of Greenwich, Tower Hamlets, Camden, Southwark, Westminsters, and Hammersmith & Fulham rejected less than one in 10 potential homes.
Andrew Bridges, managing director of Stirling Ackroyd, said: “Densely packed hubs of jobs and ideas in inner London are building the core of our capital’s future economy.
"Creative professionals want to live in these vibrant communities on the doorstep of the dynamism that makes London the capital of the cultural world.
“Yet the reluctance to keep up from so many suburban boroughs is still a restraint on London’s success and a stopper on the progress of people’s lives.
"If outer London refuses to dance to the same tune, the capital’s overall house building targets may be pushed further into the realm of political imagination.”
Bridges added: “Inner London is more interesting for developers, just as its boroughs are more receptive to development. Central sites are able to host taller and denser developments.
"This suits builders in practical terms of management and economies of scale in the construction phase. Plus, homes nearer jobs do sell faster. This means there will always be a central gravity to London’s new homes industry – but given that longstanding attraction, the surprising fact is just how much potential remains so close to the centre.
“Put simply, there is a vast potential for new homes in inner London – sites will always be hard to identify, but they exist in droves.
“The chief obstacle remains planning. And the chief opportunity is height, London’s secret weapon and most precious untapped resource. The rest of London can learn from Inner boroughs such as Tower Hamlets and Greenwich, who are fast becoming masters of the potential in building skywards.”
