By Harry Todd

Councils in London own vast amounts of brownfield land and empty or under-used buildings.

In theory, it should be straightforward: appoint an architect, grant planning permission to themselves, and get spades in the ground. And yet, time and again, council-led housebuilding projects descend into farce.

Lambeth Council wasted £59 million on Homes for Lambeth, a council-owned housing company that delivered only a paltry number of homes before the Kerslake Review recommended it be shut down.

Merton Council’s Merantun Development Limited was closed after burning through public money and failing to build a single house.

Now Westminster Council finds........

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