Sadiq Khan takes swing at London golf courses in affordable homes plan

"Our main target is golf courses I believe we have 131 golf courses in London, which is equivalent to the space in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. We know so many young Londoners are struggling to [find a home] in the place they grew up because of the challenges we have had."

"He admits that the 880,000 homes target which will be for the 10 years beginning in April 2026 - is far more than we have ever built before. He said only building on already-developed brownfield land will never be enough to meet the scale of the challenge."

"We have a huge housing crisis in the city. We would rather that people have affordable housing rather than car parks. Public parks were very important, nature reserves and allotments were important and golf courses and car parks were less important."

London's deputy mayor for the environment, Mete Coban, has identified golf courses as primary candidates for conversion to housing developments to address the city's affordable housing shortage. With 131 golf courses occupying space equivalent to the Royal Borough of Greenwich, these sites represent significant development potential. The mayor faces pressure to start 18,000 homes by March to meet current targets, with an 880,000-home goal for the decade beginning April 2026. While Coban emphasized that parks, nature reserves, and allotments remain important, he indicated that golf courses and car parks are less protected from development. The revised London Plan, due this year, will guide future development strategy as the city grapples with housing affordability challenges.

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