A councillor who applied to build a block of flats in Sadiq Khan’s backyard has now accused the London Mayor of failing to declare a conflict of interest worth £1m.

The Mayor’s office had previously labelled Bromley Councillor Simon Fawthrop’s 2018 application to build a flat and two maisonettes in Mr Khan’s Streatham backyard “a political stunt”.

However Cllr Fawthrop, the Conservative member for Petts Wood and Knoll, has now lodged a complaint over a perceived conflict of interest, saying proposed changes in the draft London Plan constitute a breach by the Mayor.

Cllr Fawthrop alleged the Mayor stands to “make a huge financial gain” if he chooses to build a development in his backyard.

“Under the proposed London Plan any property within 800m of a transport hub can dispense with parking and the Mayor also proposes to ditch the Government’s environmental protection for Gardens in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF),” Cllr Fawthrop wrote in his complaint.

“(Mr Khan) is able to financially exploit the loopholes he is creating in the Draft London Plan as he lives within 800m of both Streatham and Streatham Common Railway Stations.”

Cllr Fawthrop said he calculated the £1m pricetag of such a development based off a Zoopla search for properties showing that a two-bedroom flat in the area being valued £450k, meaning three one-bedroom homes would cost around £1m.

Cllr Fawthrop stated “this could be a huge financial gain for Sadiq Khan” and called on the Mayor to resign, saying “his behaviour is disgraceful”.

In response, a spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “Rather than repeatedly staging pointless political stunts, Councillor Fawthrop should focus on encouraging Bromley Council to build the new genuinely affordable and social homes local residents and Londoners desperately need. Sadiq makes no apologies whatsoever for making this a top priority for his administration”.  

Cllr Fawthrop said in 2018 that his application for Mr Khan’s backyard was an attempt to challenge the Mayor’s London Plan, the planning blueprint which outlines future developments across the entire city.

The plan advocated building on small plots, including backyards, in a bid to address London’s housing crisis.

“Before he starts allowing unrestricted building in my residents’ back gardens he should start with his own back yard,” Cllr Fawthrop said at the time.

A 2019 housing document by Bromley Council states it supports the building of more than 10,645 new homes in the borough as identified in the Local Plan by 2030.