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5 articles
Grey belt releases are being presented as a route to more homes around London, but the affordability case is not settled at the point of allocation. This analysis looks at which boroughs may feel the pressure, how viability negotiations can dilute promises, and where community groups can intervene.
Vacant shopfronts are being recast as sites for homes and local services, with boroughs testing asset-of-community-value listings and community right-to-buy models. The question for 2026 is less whether community ownership can be affordable than whether the funding and capacity behind it can survive first contact with a building survey.
Rent maps tell only part of the story. Once annual Travelcard costs and daily commuting time are counted, some of London’s apparently cheaper neighbourhoods look far less affordable. This piece examines station-level rent and fare data, the choices commuters are making, and why transport must sit inside the affordability debate.
Office-to-residential conversions are being presented as a fast route to new London homes. Our audit of recent schemes finds a more complicated picture: compact units, thin community infrastructure and a gap between planning promises and residents' experience.
Higher construction costs, planning delays and a tighter grant settlement have put London's community land trusts under real pressure in 2026. We profile three approaches — urban infill, estate redevelopment and outer-London self-build — and assess what their finances and governance mean for affordability and local control.