The councillors in Barnet (see previous blog) have Michael Gove on their side. In a letter to MP’s (8 December 2022) the Secretary of State for levelling Up Housing and Communities said ‘local authorities will not be expected to build at densities that would be out of character with existing areas’ such as high rise flats in a low rise area.
Barnet councillors have a powerful alibi. Where does this leave London boroughs without unprotected open countryside with policies to increase urban densities to provide homes for their children? Dead in the water?
Gove will need a Houdini level of escapist to find any way to provide the future housing in London. Watch this space!
Ian Campbell
20 December 2022
