A COULSDON mother quizzed the Mayor of London on Question Time about a lack of affordable housing at the forthcoming Cane Hill development.
Norma Maynard raised the issue with the panel on last night's televised debate which included Boris Johnson, Ed Davey MP and Tessa Jowell MP.
In a comment directed at Mr Johnson, she said: "Well you are supporting a lovely development in the outskirts of Coulsdon and their first phase after pre-application is not for the affordable housing, but it is for the ones at the top of the hill.
"And those ones, there are 78 5-bed, two hundred and something four-bed and two hundred and something three-bed.
"I am trying to talk to Croydon Council about it and you are not having it."
Barratt Homes plans to build more than 650 homes on the site of the former mental hospital, in phases.
Of the whole development, 25 per cent will be affordable housing, of which 60 per cent will be rented and 40 per cent intermediate shared ownership.
The first phase would include 32 affordable houses: four four-bed, 11 two-bed, and 16 three-bed, according to the developers at a public meeting last week.
Mr Johnson did not answer Ms Maynard's question, as host David Dimbleby immediately invited other panellists to respond.
The other two politicians on the panel did not directly address the Cane Hill development, but said more house building was the answer to reducing prices.
Ed Davey MP, Secretary of State for Energy, described housing as "one of the biggest, if not the biggest" social problems in London.
He added: "So getting that housing market working is actually critical and I believe we are achieving that.
"I believe we will see more house building promoted by this government.
"I hope next week when the spending review is announced that housing is a priority"
Tessa Jowell MP, whose West Norwood and Dulwich constituency borders Croydon, said: "The most important thing: Build more homes - the Mayor has got to up his game on this.
"But also let's take all of the profiteering out of the process of renting and lets get shared ownership schemes.
Three thousands homes are about to be let in the Olympic park."
Barratt hopes to secure planning permission soon and have the whole development built by 2022.
