After a year- long research project, CPRE London has produced a report summarising the key issues that we believe must be addressed to make London a more liveable city.

We argue that predicted population growth should be focused within London, and in our other towns and cities, to take the pressure off the countryside. This will include building more homes on brownfield sites, building at greater densities in the suburbs and ensuring good compact design and planning. London needs to prioritise building more homes for people on lower incomes and especially for families.

In order to create a more liveable London, ensuring a good quality of urban living over time, we need to concentrate on good neighbourhood design, access to sustainable transport and avoid the ghetto estates of the past through creating more mixed communities.

Some of the solutions we suggest include reallocating central government resources to affordable family housing and devolution of property taxes to free up local government capacity to help mobilise affordable housing supply. This should be done in partnership with private developers, housing associations and community-led housing initiatives. We also call for greater Mayor and borough support to diversify the housing market both to increase opportunities for small and medium developers, as well as for apportioning land and infill sites to community groups.

It is clear there needs to be more inter-professional and cross-departmental working to encourage a more coherent approach in the creation and maintenance of liveable neighbourhoods, where homes, workplaces, open spaces and amenities are better knitted together. We argue there must be a greater emphasis on creating new homes in partnership with local citizens, listening and responding to local needs and ideas.

Fundamentally we call on the government to prioritise stimulating growth in the rest of England to create a morehealthy economic balance in the country and reduce some of the pressure on London and the South East.

Download‘Towards a Liveable London’ report here or below. 

Plus click here to view a short film produced by students from Richmond University.