Ealing Council is calling on the Mayor of London to rethink proposed housing targets for the borough to make sure they do not put thousands of local jobs at risk.
In a letter responding to the draft London Plan, the council says it supports the mayor’s ambition to build more homes, particularly genuinely affordable homes to let. But, it says those ambitions must strike the right balance between new housing with the need to protect jobs, businesses, and the local economy.
What is the London Plan?
The London Plan sets out how the capital should grow and develop, including how many homes should be built and where jobs, transport, and other infrastructure should go. The plan is reviewed every 5 years, and the Mayor of London is currently working on a new version to replace the plan published in 2021.
As part of the consultation on the new draft plan, the council has submitted a response outlining its views on the proposals and their potential impact on the borough.
The borough has a strong track record of building homes, completing more new homes than any other London borough in 2024/25 and an average of 784 new affordable homes a year over the last 5 years. It currently has more affordable housing under construction than anywhere else in the capital.
Protecting local jobs
The draft plan proposes that around 11,000 homes can be built on existing industrial land in the borough. However, the council estimates that releasing industrial land on that scale could put around 7,000 jobs at risk.
It says a successful London Plan needs to be an economic plan as well as a housing plan, recognising that thriving communities depend on homes, jobs, transport, public services, open space, and other infrastructure.
Council leader Peter Mason said: “People in our borough want more genuinely affordable homes, good local jobs, and thriving neighbourhoods where they can build their futures. We want London to be ambitious about housing, but that ambition has to be matched by a plan that can actually deliver.
“Simply increasing housing targets will not build the homes London needs. We need the investment and infrastructure to deliver them, while protecting the jobs and businesses that drive our economy.
“This cannot be a choice between homes or jobs. We want to work with the mayor on a London Plan that offers both and creates stronger communities for the future.”
‘Create the right growth’
Councillor Monica Hamidi, the council’s cabinet member for good growth, said: “Our industrial areas are a vital part of our economy. They provide space for businesses to grow, support thousands of jobs, and are part of supply chains across London. Once we lose this land, it is extremely difficult to replace.
“That’s why we’re asking the mayor to make sure housing targets are based on what can realistically be achieved, while protecting the land we need for jobs and economic growth.
“We want to create the right growth for our borough, for both existing and new residents. It needs to come with good, well-paid jobs, more genuinely affordable homes, and the investment and infrastructure that growing communities need.”
