24/07/2014 BBC London News

in Glasgow. You can watch all

the sporting action tomorrow throughout the day on the BBC.

Now, on BBC One, its time for the news where you are.

The Mayor has been accused on two fronts of not doing enough to make

housing more affordable in London. Critics say a new floating village

in the docklands should not go ahead over fears that there will not be

enough affordable housing. The Green Party said that Boris Johnson wasn't

meeting his pledge to build more affordable homes.

housing more affordable in London. Today, little to see beyond

the water`skis and cable car. But could this one day be

among London's most sought`after addresses?

Here, in the middle of Royal Victoria

Docks, a floating island, luxury Docks, a floating island, ltxury

apartments, bars, restaurants. But Newham's Mayor fears it will

include affordable homes for local people.

If you're going to build solething If you're going to build solething

really nice, why shouldn't people on a bht

really nice, why shouldn't people on a bit lower

income be able to get there? It's a fantastic place.

You've got a dock, you've got transport links.

There's a whole bunch of money being spent by us, as taxpayers,

to make this a fantastic pl`ce. to make this a fantastic place.

Well, you have to contributd Well, you have to contribute

something back then. Local teacher David Huntingford

is also concerned. I don't think it's what

the area needs, really. I'm aware of lots of families that

I'm aware of lots of familids that are living in very cramped

conditions, who have got several children in one bedroom, where

conditions, who have got several children in one bedroom, whdre they

children in one bedroom, where they can't afford to live anywhere else.

The developers today tried to reassure critics.

I can guarantee it will work with the local partners to

come up with the right mix. At the moment,

we have a desire to put affordable housing within the scheme, but I

can't tell you how much, I can't tell you what it would look like.

At City Hall today, the Mayor was asked how much affordable

housing would be included. I can't give you

the answer to that right now. Is there some?

I'm afraid I can't... Any? I'm afraid I can't give you

the answer. Boris Johnson was also accused

of breaking his promises ovdr of breaking his promises ovdr

affordable housing across London. He pledged to build 55,000 homes

by March next year. But it has been revealed he

will fall short by 800. He says he will do it

by next December. That nine months

later than promised. So you will be late,

rather than short? We are going to deliver 55,000

homes by December 2015 and I We are going to deliver 55,000

homes by December 2015 and I think that is a massive achievement.

If you look around London, you do see everywhere now ndw homes

you do see everywhere now new homes are being built.

But, on the whole, they are completely out of reach

for ordinary Londoners. Boris Johnson wasn't available

to give an interview. His spokesman says he is confident

the Royal Docks development will include a mix of homes.

Local people will help to w`it Local people will help to wait

and see whether they can afford to live there.

Now throughout this week, we've been looking at London's

housing crisis and the more radical solutions to help tackle it.

The journalist and blogger, Dave Hill, says more needs to be

done to make landowners build houses on empty sites in the capital.

I'm one of those people who came here from

Eventually I got a proper job and I bought a proper house, in H`ckney.

And I've lived in Hackney ever since.

You sort of wonder, how on earth are my children ever

going to be able to live around hdre?

Trying to solve the housing crisis is going to take

One of the most important things is to

try to make sure that land which is theoretically available for building

new homes on it actually brought into use and those actually built.

This is the sort of place I was talking about.

About three years ago, local residents were shown the plans

There could be all kinds of good reasons for that.

But we'd like to know what they are and if something could be

A lot of people in housing, including a lot of politici`ns

from different parties think that one of the biggest problems is what

It is possible for somebody to get building on a piece of land,

but they have reasons for not doing so, largely to do with sitting on it

for a long time and then selling it at a later date for a large profit.

There is an argument some pdople make for greater and more effective

powers of compulsory purchase which the local authorities could use,

A lot of that land is privately owned

Quite a lot of it is also ptblic land, so there is a particular

question about how local authorities can get that public

We've come to Barking and Dagenham, where housing has always bedn

The council here feels it h`s found innovative new ways to ensure that

In terms of councils building themselves, and I think councils can

do much more, we have strained every sinew within the

Other councils can do more in that respect.

And I think we've shown that in terms of bringing

in institutional investment, setting up special purpose vehicles

Other London councils can do exactly the same.

Talking to Ken brought home to me how important it is for London

boroughs to be imaginative and innovative in making sure that

land they control is brought forward for housing.

It also showed the value of giving those authorities some additional

powers so that they can make sure that land which is privatelx held is

built on by developers and not allowed to go to waste.

And tomorrow we'll hear from social housing expert

Lord Best, who thinks one solution to the housing problem is to

encourage older Londoners to move into smaller properties.

If we can find the ideal flat for people in their late 50s, 60s, early

70s and can get people to ldave 70s and can get people to leave

their nice three`bedroom suburban house and moved to that flat, then

we solve all kinds of problems house and moved to that flat, then

we solve all kinds of probldms at we solve all kinds of probldms at

the same time. A teenage boy has drowned in Marlow after plaxing

the same time. A teenage box has drowned in Marlow after playing with

friends near the river. It hs friends near the river. It hs

thought he was retrieving a ball when he was swept into deep water

yesterday afternoon. There are calls tonight for more

transparency from the Metropolitan Police after accusations that it's

using spy planes The mysterious flights were first

spotted by bloggers ` as our transport corresponddnt

Tom Edwards reports. The skies over the capital `re busy

airspace. But could there be more up airspace. But could there be more up

there than passenger planes? Yesterday, this plane was spotted on

a tracking website circling south London at 10,000 feet for two and a

half hours. Its registration has come up before in these questions

from the Liberal Democrats on the London assembly. The accusation is

that it's a Metropolitan Police biplane. Then, there was no

response, for operational sdcurity reasons. It's right for the police

to keep operations secret, but we need to know if they do have these

need to know if they do havd these planes and what it is costing the

taxpayer. You can't hide aeroplanes in the sky, people will see them. We

need to know what it is costing and for The Met to be open about why

they have these planes. A tracking website says the plane is over

London almost everyday. Bloggers and those on social media regul`rly

those on social media regularly spotter plane circling. Darren has

suspicions it was a spy plane. I would be more worried if the police

would be more worried if thd police were not monitoring people and phone

calls like that. I think everybody knows that it is important to

monitor e`mails and phone c`lls I personally don't have a problem with

that. I think the only people worried about they are doing, they

would have a problem with it. We asked the authorities about these

planes and so far inquiries have got nowhere. The National air traffic

control service declined to comment. The deputy mayor for policing said

he wasn't aware of the planes. The deputy mayor for policing said

he wasn't aware of the plands. The he wasn't aware of the planes. The

Met would neither confirm or deny that it was using planes for

surveillance. Commentators say it is unsurprising that The Met are being

secretive. But there are motnting secretive. But there are mounting

calls for the police to havd a calls for the police to have a

degree of openness about whdther it degree of openness about whether it

is using aerial surveillancd. It is good night from me. I will

leave you with the weather. Another hot day today, the highest

temperatures to the West. 30 degrees at Heathrow. More hot and sunny

at Heathrow. More hot and stnny weather tomorrow. These are the

temperatures we will start the day with. Another uncomfortable night.

Clear sky, plenty of sunshine as we head into tomorrow. Maybe some

patchy cloud around. I don't think we will get as much as today. It

we will get as much as todax. It looks like it will be a dry day with

lots of sunshine. That easterly lots of sunshine. That eastdrly

breeze, a bit blustery at thmes That is why we are seeing the

highest temperatures in the West, not fat off 2829 degrees. More heat

to come on Friday. Into the start of the weekend, and then things will

start to change. There is the risk of some showers and at Wilton cooler

from the north. The national picture comes from Philip Avery.

from the north. The national picture comes from Philip Avery.

Unusually, I can say good morning. Wednesday has been noticeable for a

number of reasons. From a meteorological point of view, it was

the warmest day of the year for Wales and Northern Ireland. Nothing

like it across the East of Scotland, where the temperature was locked

firmly into the mid-teens thanks to the presence of the low cloud and

fog. It is there