Lewisham Council has joined two other boroughs in challenging Sir Sadiq Khan’s decision to cut targets for affordable housing in new developments.

London’s planning policy says that developers should include 35 per cent “affordable housing” in their schemes – a term which covers social rented homes, shared ownership and privately-rented homes offered at a discount. If they cannot afford to do this, they need to show evidence.

But in March, the mayor adopted “emergency measures” in an attempt to boost building rates, cutting the level to 20 per cent.

Lewisham, Hackney and Tower Hamlets councils have filed a claim for a judicial review of Khan’s decision, and are being supported by four other boroughs.

The seven councils say Khan’s decision will harm their ability to deliver the highest levels of affordable housing for their residents. They also say there was no consultation and a lack of evidence for the measures.

Liam Shrivastava, the Green elected mayor of Lewisham, said: “London is in an unprecedented housing crisis, and private developers have a duty to play a role in supporting our city. It would be totally wrong to allow their profit to go unchecked while thousands of people are on councils’ housing waiting lists. 

“Developers should build as many affordable homes as possible; letting them get away with delivering less will have devastating consequences right across the city, pushing ordinary Londoners out. 

“While we understand the challenge the mayor of London faces in terms of a stalled house building market and a developer-led model that is broken, he has provided no justification for these changes, which will undoubtedly reduce the number of affordable homes built in London. 

“In Lewisham, we’re not anti-development – far from it, we want to work with responsible developers that are respectful of our communities and make a positive difference.  To do that, we need the planning system to support the delivery of more, not less, of the affordable homes our communities need.” 

Lewisham has 10,500 households on its waiting list, with a further 14,000 in overcrowded conditions and 2,450 in temporary accommodation. 

The borough has an “affordable” housing target of 50 per cent – set by the previous Labour council – while Greenwich has a target of 35 per cent. The emergency measures override both targets.

Lewisham is due to start work on four new housing developments of its own: at Thomas Lane in Catford; the Achilles Estate in New Cross; the former Mayfield Hostel site in Burnt Ash Hill, Lee; and Ladywell Park Gardens, off Lewisham High Street.

Lambeth, Southwark, Waltham Forest and Haringey councils are also backing the challenge.

Of the seven councils taking Khan to court, all but one were Labour councils before the elections in May. 

Lewisham, Hackney and Waltham Forest were all won by the Greens, while the party won the most councillors in Haringey and Lambeth. Southwark is run by the Greens and Liberal Democrats, while Tower Hamlets is run by the Aspire party’s elected mayor Lutfur Rahman.

City Hall has been contacted for comment.

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