BEXLEY could play a key role in Greater London Authority plans which would see south east London developed as a rival to the West End.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone says Londoners' £19bn annual tax pay-out should be spent on advancing areas such as Bexley, in a bid to move the “West End to the east”, in his Towards the London Plan document.
But Bromley and Bexley GLA member Bob Neill is sceptical about the 20-year forward planning initiative.
He said: “The committee will test whether the Mayor's Strategy can deliver the goods in shaping Greater London into the sort of city that its people want and need.
“We do not want a situation where developers turn their backs on London because of sweeping statements.”
In the plan, the Mayor says a larger proportion of the £19bn should be used to increase the supply of affordable housing, to build on current prosperity.
He said: “London's population is now more than 7.4 million and, if recent trends continue, could rise to more than 8.1 million in 2016.
“The Thames Gateway is an obvious area where London can realistically provide the additional capacity for the large volume development needed to attract global institutions to London and retain them.”
A final version of plan will be made public next year following a period of consultation with public and private bodies.
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