Last week the mayor of London expressed concerns that permitted development (PD) rights to convert office space into residential units could lead to thousands of jobs being lost.

Now, in its five-year plan on how it will work with the new mayor of London, Croydon Council has welcomed Mr Khan’s plans to protect commercial space from conversion into low-quality housing. 

Croydon was described as a permitted development haven by Laura McCauley of Imperial Blue back in March after it was found to be one of the most sought after locations for property developers. 

The council pointed out in its report, which is set to get the green light by its cabinet next week that Article 4 powers had been put in place to protect commercial space from poor-quality flats under permitted development rights. 

Council Tony Newman, Leader of Croydon Council, also explained how it is working towards a five-year strategy which will aim to deliver 9,500 new homes with at least 1,200 completions a year.

“This strategy is important because it’s our vision for making Croydon an even better place to live, work and visit.

“From giving vulnerable adults greater independence, to massive regeneration in Croydon town centre, the vision focuses both on helping the individual and improving whole communities.

“It’s also about not just council-run schemes, such as genuinely affordable housing for local families, but also close partnership with government, the private and voluntary sectors and the NHS to make sure Croydon gets the investment and improvements we need in the years to come.”