'Rail projects have to happen for homes to follow'

London will struggle to build its target 88,000 new homes every year for the next decade unless two major rail projects are given the green light, the deputy mayor for housing has said.

Tom Copley said the next London Plan would factor in the government's request, which was part of a target for 1.5m new homes in the UK by 2029, but could fall short if enough infrastructure was not built.

He told the London Assembly Budget and Performance Committee that a "huge amount of infrastructure and funding" was needed.

"In order to actually get to that target, a lot of things have to happen," he said. "The DLR extension is very important. We also need a Bakerloo Line extension, the West London Orbital."

The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extension was supported by Chancellor Rachel Reeves at November's Budget. If built, it could unlock up to 30,000 new homes between Beckton Riverside and Thamesmead.

Copley called on ministers to back a Bakerloo Line extension from Elephant and Castle into south London and the proposed West London Orbital connecting north and west London.

"We're going to be planning for 880,000 homes over the next 10 years but to be clear, the London plan is not a delivery plan. It's a spatial development strategy," he said.

Copley added that the target figure could not be reached without building on green belt land, but could not give an estimate for the proportion of new homes that would need to be constructed on the protected land.

The London Plan is the master planning document that sets out how London should grow and develop over the next 20–25 years. It was last changed in 2021 and is due to be updated this year.

Independent analysis from consulting firm Hatch suggested that 107,000 new homes could be built along the Bakerloo Line if it was extended to Hayes in the south-east, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The West London Orbital, which would run from Hendon and West Hampstead to Hounslow, could help deliver up to 15,800 new homes.

Both projects have been backed by the mayor of London, however neither featured in the government's Budget last year.

It is understood that while conversations are ongoing between City Hall and Whitehall, there are no plans to approve either in the coming years.

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