23/02/2018 London News

Now on BBC One, it's time

for the news where you are.

Good evening from BBC London News.

I'm Victoria Hollins.

There's no debate about

whether London needs more homes.

But how those homes are built,

and where they are built is a much

more controversial issue.

The Mayor has plans to build 600,000

new properties in 10 years.

But he's facing growing opposition

from outer London boroughs,

who say Sadiq Khan's plans will lead

to uncontrolled development.

Gareth Furby reports.

In the borough of Richmond,

there's an old college playing field

where they've started digging,

and some green space

will be lost to make way

for new schools and a business hub.

But the council leader's

happy about it.

It's a development that works

because it's been thought through.

Local partners have been brought

together and we planned it.

But what hasn't been

thought through, he claims,

is the Mayor of London's plan

for many new homes,

which he believes could lead

to uncontrolled development that

wrecks the borough's character.

And he's written an open letter

to residents saying this.

This plan, if implemented

as currently proposed,

will have an enormous impact

on our borough.

The Mayor of London's plan

is for 600,000 new homes

in ten years, with 8000 in Richmond

borough, which is one

of the greenest in London.

But looking at the map,

the council leader says such a dash

for growth will come at a cost.

We've got playing fields and green

spaces under threat already,

so additional pressure of small site

development, local infill,

without the ability to strategically

plan, is going to put pressure

on all of our other remaining local

green spaces and playing fields.

And it's not just in Richmond

that they are rebelling.

Over in south-east London,

Bexley Council says its suburban

streets could be changed forever.

Councillor Bailey, who has lived

here for more than 30 years,

says in some areas developers

could just buy up and knock down

the semis like dominoes.

You see the houses behind me?

This would be an ideal location

for a developer to come along,

buy those two houses,

knock them down and put a block

of flats there with no parking.

An independent calculation prepared

for some councils claims the target

in inner London is up 41%,

and in outer London it is up 114%.

So far, Richmond, Kingston, Bexley

and Bromley are known to be unhappy,

and it's understood at least eight

councils may make formal objections.

I think if boroughs are saying

they don't agree with our plan,

they are either saying

they would build on the green belt,

or they are saying they don't have

an answer to the housing crisis.

What we are saying is that we need

to massively increase the level

of housing that we are building

in the capital, and we've identified

a way to do that in London

without building on the green belt.

City Hall says it wants

to work with the boroughs.

Responses to the plan have to be

in by the end of the month.

Gareth Furby, BBC London News.

Alpa Patel joins me.

Alpa, the mayor wants to build

600,000 homes, but will he?

Well, there is no doubt that London

needs these new homes. They are all

put under pressure by London's

growing population. We are growing

by about 100,000 every year. So, the

plan is to build 60,000, on average,

homes every year. So, the Mayor

doesn't want to build on green belt

land, as we know. He needs to go to

the outer boroughs for help. As we

heard in Gareth's report, the outer

boroughs do not want house building

on green space, on the playing

fields. It is perhaps no coincidence

that the four boroughs mentioned in

the report are Tory, Richmond,

Bexley, Bromley and Kingston,

objecting to the London Mayor's

plans. Local elections are just a

couple of months away and housing is

a key issue. That is why this

dispute matters.

Thank you.

The police watchdog has said five

officers should face charges

of gross misconduct over the death

in custody of a mentally ill man

in south London ten years ago.

Sean Rigg, who suffered

from paranoid schizophrenia,

was arrested and forcefully

restrained.

He collapsed after being put

in a holding area at Brixton

police station and died

from a heart attack.

Last year the Crown Prosecution

Service decided that none

of the officers involved should

face criminal charges.

It began life as a small London

company but became a business

that was advertised all over

the capital, with

almost a dozen stores.

Now, after going into

administration, Warren Evan's

customers could be left

out of pocket.

The stores close tomorrow.

Chris Rogers has the story.

Warren Evans was a

London success story.

This promotional video showing how

it only sells and makes

ethically-produced furniture,

which made it a firm

favourite for green buyers.

Founded in 1978 and funded with

a couple of hundred pounds Mr Evans

borrowed from his sister,

it expanded to 14 showrooms

across the south-east.

I have been making beds, and selling

quality mattresses with them,

and designing under-bed storage

units, chests of drawers and all

of this, for 32 years.

It's my passion to deliver quality.

But the retailer became the latest

victim of the capital's nervous

spending and weak pound.

It's collapsed leaving 270

people without a job

and a trail of customers

without their pre-ordered goods.

Kath Goodwin is heading

to the warehouse in Walthamstow

to appeal to the administrators

face-to-face to refund her £700

for a mattress she will never get.

They did not seem 100% sure

I would get my money back

because I didn't pay on a credit

card but a debit card instead.

So, yes, I am potentially set

to lose almost £800.

Which is too much to lose, really.

If I wanted to just lose it,

I'd have thrown it in the bin.

The advice is not to purchase big

orders like furniture

on a debit card or with cash

in these uncertain times -

advice Kath and many other

customers didn't take.

Leaving them at the mercy of their

bank's goodwill for reimbursement.

That's it for now from me,

but let's find out

That's it for now from me,

but let's find out

what the weathers up

to with Ben Rich.

A beautiful way the EU weekend to

get out and about if you are

appropriately dressed. It will feel

cold. A lovely end to the day for

Barbara in Bromley. After that

financed the day we have clear skies

to take us through the rest of the

night. It is already getting cold

out there. The temperatures will

continue to drop in the centre of

town below freezing, maybe down to

-54 -6 in prone spots. This

shimmering effect shows the extent

of the frost tomorrow morning. Watch

as it eventually melts away from the

map through the morning. It will

take a while for temperatures to

lift. When they do, it is a nice

looking afternoon. Some nice spells

of sunshine. Notice the strength of

the easterly wind, making it feel

pretty chilly. It will feel colder

still on Sunday. As we get into next

week, temperatures will struggle to

get above freezing.