Two London boroughs have been shortlisted for the building of new towns under the Government’s plan to "get Britain building again".
The potential developments in Crews Hill, Enfield and Thamesmead, Greenwich could provide up to 35,000 new properties between them.
💬 City Voices: London needs more new towns such as Thamesmead to hit housing targets
Enfield Council leader Ergin Erbil said the development would include the construction of surgeries, schools and leisure facilities, as well as "family-sized affordable homes".
He said: “People of my generation have been locked out of home ownership, so we've got to get building."
The project is part of Labour's promise to create 12 new towns and 300,000 new homes across the UK.
Other locations under consideration include Heyford Park in Oxfordshire, Tempsford in Bedfordshire and Victoria North in Manchester.
If approved, construction will begin at three of the locations before the next general election scheduled for 2029.
Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan said that he was "really pleased" to hear about the two developments in the capital.
His deputy Tom Copley added that the announcement by Housing Secretary Steve Reed was "fantastic news".
Meanwhile, Generation Rent’s Ben Twomey said the town-building proposals were part of the solution for rising living costs.
He said: "Londoners are being squeezed so tightly by the cost of rent, that we find ourselves pushed into poverty, homelessness and debt before we even have a chance to find somewhere else to live.
"Building (houses) as quickly as possible, safely and with the right environmental assessments, will be crucial because there's so much pressure on Londoners right now, which is pushing people either out of the city altogether or even into temporary accommodation."
However, those opposed to the announcement have raised concerns about building on greenbelt land, which they claim will fuel congestion and add pressure on existing communities.
Roger Mortlock, chief executive of CPRE, The Countryside Charity, said: “Too many of these sites will needlessly see great swathes of countryside and the Green Belt lost to development while the list of brownfield sites grows.
“There is a massive opportunity to rethink how we build new places, faced with the climate and nature crises, that still needs more emphasis.”
