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Mary Macleod MP has criticised Hounslow Council for not insisting that there be an affordable housing component in the development surrounding Brentford FC's stadium.

With the decision from the Mayor’s Office on the planning permission expected in the next few days, Mary Macleod has met with the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to discuss her concerns about affordable housing in the capital.

She said, “I am particularly concerned about the lack of affordable housing in the plans for the Brentford FC new stadium development. I feel Hounslow Council has badly let down local teachers, nurses, police officers and anyone on an average wage in London who will never be able to afford to buy or rent in the new development."

The plans were given approval by the Council on the basis that the community benefits delivered by the plan justified exempting the development from a requirement to include an affordable housing component in the 900+ flats that will be built. There is also a stipulation that if the profits from the development are above a certain level then affordable housing will have to be added.

Mary Macleod added, “Hounslow Council could have insisted that affordable housing was included in the plans but failed to do so. I have written to the Council to ask why some element of affordable housing was not mandated as part of their planning permission agreement. I have also written to the Mayor’s Planning and Policy Adviser, Sir Edward Lister outlining my concerns on this matter.”

Cllr Steve Curran, cabinet member for housing, planning and regeneration at the council, said: “Our record on affordable home speaks for itself – more than 2,500 have been, or are being, built across the borough for local families.

“If Mary had concerns about this, perhaps she should have made them public during the planning consultation, instead of waiting two months after it was approved and making a crude attempt to link two issues which are completely separate.”