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Boris: a man with a plan
 Mayor
of London Boris
Johnson has today unveiled a £5 billion housing strategy to support the city's ailing
property market over the next three years. On a greener note, he also wants to
create 2,012 new vegetable gardens in London...
Boris is not one to sit on his laurels. His latest idea aims to boost the construction
sector in London during this
economic downturn whilst supporting the industry to deliver new affordable
homes.
Alongside these key points, he also aims to provide more sustainable routes
to home ownership.
Boris will work with the Homes
and Communities Agency to invest almost £2 billion each year from the London housing budget to
deliver new homes and improve existing homes.
Boris said, "The new strategy will include a range of ideas that will replace outdated
policies, which no longer apply to the current housing market and economic
climate in London."
In a break from conventional thinking, investment will be directed into new
ways of delivering homes to tackle the credit crunch.
Funding will be used to kick-start stalled developments in London, to acquire unsold market homes for
affordable housing and to bring forward public sector land for new development.
In addition funding will be used to develop subsidised rent and rent-to-buy
schemes, which could be sold at a profit or turned into permanent affordable
homes when the upturn arrives.
Boris added, "The strategy focuses not only on the issues facing the housing
market in these difficult times but the historic problems of affordability, homelessness
and overcrowding.
"It is designed to meet the needs of Londoners aspiring to get a foot on the
housing ladder. For far too long London's
finest have been priced out of the capital's housing market and, as a result,
forced out of town with the capital losing their skills and expertise.
"These plans aim to put London
on a strong footing for the eventual upturn in the housing market.
"By enabling ordinary Londoners to move from being subsidisers to being
investors in new homes, we will provide timely support to a struggling
development sector and can expect a return on our investment in years to come,"
he added.
How does your garden grow?
Boris's
veggie scheme aims to boost the amount of locally grown food in the capital by
urging Londoners to turn their empty spaces into veggie plots.
This
is all part of the ‘Capital Growth' plan to grow food on 2012 patches of land
across London by 2012. Flat
roofs, canal banks, disused railway yards and other derelict land lots are also
being earmarked for this green sensation.
The demand for allotments has sky rocketed over recent years as people are
keener than ever to live the good life in a green manner.
‘Capital Growth' (brilliant name, by the way, Boris), will supply Londoners with
financial and practical support to grow their own veggies, such as gardening
tools and compost.
The London Development Agency will fund
a pilot scheme over the next six months to identify the first 50 spaces, at a
cost of £87,000.
Picture by uriba
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