One of the most exciting boroughs in Greater London is Newham. Newly elected Mayor Forhad Hussain, a youthful-looking veteran of Newham politics, has hit the ground running. A good communicator, he has already drawn a bold line under the previous eight years, which are now little more than a distant memory.
The Mayor and his team
Labour Group divisions have been healed, and Hussain has appointed a strong Cabinet with colleagues such as John Gray and Tonii Wilson. Newham is a complex and diverse borough, and development and regeneration are very much at the top of his agenda. It remains a borough with plentiful opportunities for the development community. The planning committee regularly approves large-scale developments, and planning officers are seen to be pro-development. That is a good combination.
The Mayor nonetheless faces huge challenges. Nearly one in twenty households live in temporary accommodation, and tackling the associated overspending is both a top priority and a necessity as Hussain works to stabilise the council's finances. The context is stark: between 2011 and 2020, rents in Newham rose by 5% and house prices by 87%, while wages rose by only 37%. Data from 2022/23 shows 35,625 residents on the housing waiting list, and in 2024 the council's spending on temporary accommodation was projected to exceed £40m over the coming year.
Housing and regeneration have therefore become a key political priority, and Hussain will want to focus on building thousands of new council homes. To assist, Darren Rodwell has been appointed to advise the Mayor and the council on Inclusive Regeneration. It is a very smart move. Darren is a one-off who knows how to change a council's culture and kickstart delivery, and he has left his mark on Barking & Dagenham and, more recently, Harlow.
In recent weeks the Mayor has also launched the Opportunity Newham programme, designed to attract jobs and investment from developers into the borough. Describing its objectives, Hussain said: "Through Opportunity Newham, we are sending a clear message that Newham is open for business and investment. We want to work with developers, investors and businesses who share our ambition to deliver new homes, better jobs and opportunities for our residents."
The new Local Plan
That ambition is underpinned by the borough's new Local Plan, which was approved at the beginning of November 2026. It sets out plans for around 54,000 new homes, further affordable housing developments, jobs and sustainable growth across the whole of the borough through to 2042. It would be transformational if delivered.
The Plan sets a strategic target of 50% affordable housing, alongside more family-sized homes, jobs for local people and renewed community facilities. As originally drafted, it required that 50% of homes in new developments of ten homes or more be for social rent, with a further 10% for affordable home ownership. The Planning Inspectorate amended this, saying those requirements would make it unviable for developers to build.
Hussain also set out the unit specification behind the Plan: "A key objective [of the Local Plan] is to increase the supply of genuinely affordable housing, with a particular emphasis on delivering family-sized homes at social rent to meet local housing needs. The Plan sets a strategic target of 50% affordable homes, with 40% of social rent homes to be family homes (3+ beds)."
The Plan was agreed by full Council, and officers were pleased with the level of cross-party support. Ingrid Hooley, Interim Assistant Director for Growth, Regeneration & Infrastructure, described the cross-party collaboration as "tremendous" and "heartwarming". Every councillor voted for the Plan except two Greens.
What it means for developers
Team Terrapin knows the borough well and has secured planning consents for schemes such as Legacy Wharf in Stratford, which remains full of development opportunities. Since Michael Heseltine in the 1980s, Newham's story has been evolving, and the final chapter is yet to be written.
Team Terrapin understands the politics of planning and development in Newham.
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