The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced plans to make new housing and office developments that are close to public transport links, car-free. He is also planning to double the amount of cycle parking.

The idea is to reduce the capital’s dependence on vehicles.

Khan said: ‘My draft London Plan will set out how I want to transform how London’s infrastructure works, making cycling and walking a safe and convenient alternative for millions more journeys every day.

‘If you buy or rent a home in London and make regular journeys to work or the shops, I want to see safe and secure cycle parking available for every journey, across all parts of the city. For too long our housing and infrastructure have been built solely around the car.’

In the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, released in March, Sadiq Khan also talks about something called ‘Good Growth.’

This strategy aims to ensure that regeneration and new development schemes incorporate:

• Good access to public transport
• High-density, mixed-use developments
• People choose to walk and cycle
  Car-free and car-lite places
• Inclusive, accessible design
• Carbon-free travel

Guidelines for increasing green infrastructure have also been proposed, as the mayor plans for more than half of London to be classed as ‘green’ by 2050. This will include features such as street trees, green roofs and green walls. A framework is planned to help boroughs and developers know how much should be required in new developments.

We’ve previously highlighted that housing starts are to rise further in 2018, with Theresa May stating that she wants construction of new homes to rise to 300,000 a year to tackle a shortage of housing. And Sadiq Khan has said that “London needs 66,000 new homes every year to meet its increasing need and put right years of underinvestment. But development must not be done at any cost; the green belt is the lungs of the capital and must be protected.”