The new rules, which will come into force in 2011, were launched by the mayor for consultation in Croydon, at a conference organised to discuss his London Housing Strategy last Wednesday (8 July).

Called the London Housing Design Guide the document proposes several key environmental requirements.

These are improving the public spaces between buildings and ensuring a mix of housing sizes, types and tenures.

Cycle storage will also be a key part of the design process as well as making sure homes are designed to meet climate change and are suitable for warmer summers and wetter winters.

Mr Johnson said: “For too long we have built homes to indecently poor standards – fit neither for Bilbo Baggins nor his hobbit friends – and that is indefensible.

“The finest city in the world deserves the finest housing for its inhabitants and when we get it wrong it can scar generation after generation.

“Today marks the start of reversing that downward trend and raising the bar, not just in publicly funded, but all new homes built in London.”

In May the mayor published the public consultation draft of the London Housing Strategy.

Statutory public consultation on the draft London Housing Strategy will run until 31 August.

Following this, the draft will then be revised – with the final statutory strategy published later this year, following submission to the Secretary of State

The consultation can be found on the mayor’s website.

Luke Walsh

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