London Mayor Ken Livingstone’s London Plan came into effect this week, as the plan became law.

The plan provides a framework for managing London’s growing population, which is expected to increase by 800, 000 in the next decade and a half.

As law, London boroughs must now embed the mayor’s policies into their development plans. In the plan’s draft format it had no legal force. Boroughs such as Islington, will now no longer be allowed to dismiss proposed development of buildings taller than 30m within its jurisdiction on a wholesale basis.

At the launch of the document this week Livingstone insisted the plan’s target of 50 per cent affordable housing for all new housing development was no longer an objective but enforceable by law. He said, “Until today 50 per cent was an aspiration … legally, I had no right to insist on it but now we can enforce it in the courts.”

Livingstone hopes to build some 440,000 new homes in and around the capital by 2016.

Livingstone said “The London Plan addresses the greatest single challenge facing our city: how to accommodate growth in London’s economy and population at the same time as creating a more open and equitable society and preserving and improving London’s heritage and environment.”

“I am absolutely delighted that these policies were endorsed by the extremely thorough consultation process and have now been agreed by Government.”